A community-based cluster randomised controlled trial has demonstrated that human papilloma virus (HPV) self-testing could potentially halve the number of under-screened/never-screened Māori women, thereby decreasing cervical morbidity and mortality. The study involved Northland Māori women aged 25-69 years who were last screened ≥4 years ago. In the intervention arm (HPV self-test), 59.0% of 500 eligible women were screened. In the control arm (cervical smear), 21.8% of 431 eligible women were screened. Māori women in the intervention arm were 2.8 times more likely to be screened than women in the control arm after adjusting for age, time since last screen, and deprivation index (95% CI 2.4-3.1; p <0.0001). These findings may be generalisable to indigenous peoples in other high-income countries.
