Aims and Objectives

Aims of the HPV-FASTER-Implement

HPV-FASTER-Implement aims to accelerate cervical cancer elimination through the HPV FASTER concept, which combines HPV vaccination and screening strategies, to reduce the unequal burden of disease across Europe. In this sense, the project aims to:

Engage stakeholder representatives

especially from vulnerabilised populations, to co-create targeted strategies for delivering HPV vaccines and HPV-based cervical cancer screening. This collaborative approach aims to reduce Europe's cervical cancer burden.

Establish a Europe-wide knowledge framework

to identify vulnerabilities, address associated health challenges, and develop tools for monitoring their progression.

Gather, analyse, and share insights

on gaps and opportunities in cervical cancer prevention through stakeholder engagement, health literacy promotion, mathematical modeling, implementation research, and vulnerability mapping—accelerating progress toward elimination.

Transform collected data into actionable policy recommendations

that strengthen national prevention programs, ensuring interventions are tailored to the unique needs of vulnerable populations.

Design health education initiatives, communication strategies, and support services

tailored to high-risk groups with limited access to healthcare, ensuring they receive essential information and care.

HPV-FASTER-Implement will undertake a range of targeted activities and interventions. Details about the implementation process are provided in the description of work packages (see also here).

Objectives

To achieve these aims, the project defines several key objectives that outline how it will advance more equitable cervical cancer prevention and reduce health inequalities.

The objectives of the project are:

Assess barriers

Assess individual, structural, economic, and social barriers to accessing CC prevention measures among vulnerable women and transgender men to enable their mitigation.

Co-design HPV-FASTER intervention

Co-design a combined HPV vaccination and screening intervention (HPV-FASTER) for unvaccinated vulnerable populations that can be adapted to national and subnational specific contexts to meet their needs.

Develop and share a map on health challenges

Develop and share a map for countries to assess evolving health challenges and disease burden among vulnerable populations at national and sub-national levels.

Pilot test HPV-FASTER implementation

Pilot test and analyse the HPV-FASTER implementation model within CCS programmes of 5 representative groups of vulnerable population.

Educate and communicate

Set up health education and communication initiatives. We will use digital tools to design interventions to raise health literacy about CC and screening in vulnerable populations.

Assess effectiveness

Assess the effectiveness of the actions we take to prevent CC (vaccination and screening) and assess the impact on cost (health economic assessment).