Awareness of Palestinian Women About Breast Cancer Risk Factors: A National Cross-Sectional Study

Elshami, Mohamedraed; Usrof, Faten Darwish; Alser, Mohammed; Al‐Slaibi, Ibrahim; Okshiya, Heba Mahmoud; Ghithan, Roba Jamal; Shurrab, Nouran Ramzi Shaban; Ismail, Islam Osama; Mahfouz, Ibtisam; Fannon, Aseel AbdulQader; Qawasmi, Malak Ayman Mousa; Hawa, Mona Radi Mohammad; Giacaman, Narmeen; Ahmaro, Manar; Zaatreh, Rula Khader; Aqel, Wafa; Melhim, Noor Khairi; Madbouh, Ruba Jamal; Hziema, Hala Jamal Abu; Lahlooh, Raghad Abed-Allateef; Ubaiat, Sara Nawaf; Jaffal, Nour Ali; Alawna, Reem Khaled; Abed, Salsabeel Naeem; Abuzahra, Bessan Nimer Ali; Kwaik, Aya Jawad Abu; Dodin, Mays Hafez; Taha, Raghad Othman; Alashqar, Dina Mohammed; Mobarak, Roaa Abd-al-Fattah; Smerat, Tasneem; Abu-El-Noor, Nasser Ibrahim; Böttcher, Bettina

doi:10.1200/go.22.00087

Cited by 9 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Higher levels of education were linked to better awareness of the risk factors for lung, colorectal cancer, breast, and ovarian cancers. 10 - 13 However, in our study as well as two other studies, it was not associated with better recognition of cancer myths to be incorrect. 7 , 28 This means that campaigns should target people of all levels of education to achieve better awareness; however, the way of presenting such information should be tailored depending on educational and cultural background.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 48%

“…Recruiting participants from various geographic locations was intended to increase the representativeness of the study cohort. 9 - 13 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar scoring systems were also used in previous studies. 9 - 13 One point was given for each correctly recognized LC myth. Awareness level was determined based on the total score (ranging from 0 to 13), which was calculated and categorized into three categories on the basis of the number of myths identified as incorrect: poor (0-4), fair (5-9), and good (10-13).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Myths and Misconceptions Around Lung Cancer Causation in Palestine: Is It Time to Intervene?

Elshami,

Mansour,

Alser

et al. 2023

JCO Global Oncology

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PURPOSE Having an accurate knowledge of what truly increases the likelihood of developing lung cancer (LC) may help people make better decisions about lifestyle changes that could potentially lower their risk. This study assessed current beliefs in LC causation myths among Palestinians and explored factors associated with displaying good recognition of such myths. METHODS A national cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2019 to March 2020. A modified version of the Cancer Awareness Measure-Mythical Causes Scale was used for data collection. The awareness level of LC causation myths was determined based on the number of myths recognized to be incorrect: poor (0-4), fair (5-9), and good (10-13). RESULTS A total of 4,817 participants completed the questionnaire of 5,174 approached (response rate = 93.1%). In total, 4,762 participants were included in the final analysis. Myths unrelated to food were more commonly recognized than food-related myths. The food-related myth most frequently recognized was eating burnt food (n = 1,427; 30.0%) followed by drinking from plastic bottles (n = 1,389; 29.2%). The food-related myth least commonly recognized was eating food containing additives (n = 737; 15.5%). The most frequently recognized myth unrelated to food was having a physical trauma (n = 2,903; 61%), whereas the least was using cleaning products (n = 1,140; 23.9%). Only 287 participants (6%) displayed good awareness. Having a chronic disease and knowing someone with cancer were associated with a decrease in the likelihood of displaying good awareness. Conversely, participants who were smoking cigarettes/shisha and those recruited from hospitals had an associated increase in the likelihood of displaying good awareness. CONCLUSION This study found very poor awareness of LC causation myths, with only 6% recognizing ≥10 myths. Initiatives addressing LC mythical causes are needed.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 48%

“…Recruiting participants from various geographic locations was intended to increase the representativeness of the study cohort. 9 - 13 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Myths and Misconceptions Around Lung Cancer Causation in Palestine: Is It Time to Intervene?

Elshami,

Mansour,

Alser

et al. 2023

JCO Global Oncology

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“…23 This may have given women from the Gaza Strip more time and opportunities to search and read more about BC. 15 Moreover, the WBJ has a more extensive geographical diversity compared with the Gaza Strip, with a higher proportion of women residing in rural areas, which constrains their accessibility to health care centers to interact with health care professionals and enhance their health literacy. 13 , 34…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers to Timely Seeking of Breast Cancer Care Among Palestinian Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Elshami,

Qawasmi,

Ghithan

et al. 2024

JCO Glob Oncol

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PURPOSE Examining the association of breast cancer (BC) symptom awareness with time to help seeking and exploring barriers to timely presentation may enhance the effectiveness of BC awareness campaigns and early detection efforts. This study aimed to assess the anticipated time for seeking medical advice when experiencing a potential BC symptom among women in Palestine and to identify their barriers to early presentation. MATERIALS AND METHODS A convenience sampling method was used to recruit adult women from hospitals, primary health care facilities, and public areas across 11 governorates in Palestine. A translated-into-Arabic version of the validated BC Awareness Measure was used. The questionnaire consisted of three sections: sociodemographic information, recognition of 13 BC symptoms and reporting time for seeking medical advice, and barriers to early presentation. RESULTS A total of 5,257 questionnaires were included. The proportion of participants who would seek medical advice immediately varied on the basis of the nature of BC symptoms. For symptoms related to the breast, the proportion ranged from 25.7% for redness of the breast skin to 53.5% for a lump or thickening in the breast. For symptoms related to the nipple, the proportion ranged from 30.7% for nipple rash to 48.0% for discharge or bleeding from the nipple. Exhibiting good BC symptom awareness was associated with a higher likelihood of seeking medical advice within a week for all BC symptoms. Emotional barriers were the most frequently reported barriers. There was no association between increasing levels of BC awareness and reporting fewer or more barriers. CONCLUSION The nature of BC symptoms had an impact on help-seeking behaviors. Participants with good BC symptom awareness were more likely to seek medical advice earlier.

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“…Public spaces included marketplaces, parks, malls, trade streets, mosques, transportation stations, and others. Recruiting participants from a variety of governorates and locations across Palestine was intended to increase the representativeness of the study cohort [ 8 , 9 , 17 – 27 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Common myths and misconceptions about breast cancer causation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional study

Elshami,

Ismail,

Alser

et al. 2023

BMC Public Health

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Background The discussion about breast cancer (BC) causation continues to be surrounded by a number of myths and misbeliefs. If efforts are misdirected towards reducing risk from false mythical causes, individuals might be less likely to consider and adopt risk-reducing behaviors for evidence-based BC causes. This national study aimed to assess the awareness of BC causation myths and misbeliefs among Palestinian women, and examine the factors associated with having good awareness. Methods This national cross-sectional study recruited adult women from government hospitals, primary healthcare centers, and public spaces in 11 governorates in Palestine. A modified version of the Cancer Awareness Measure-Mythical Causes Scale was used to collect data. The level of awareness of BC causation myths was determined based on the number of myths recognized to be incorrect: poor (0–5), fair (6–10), or good (11–15). Results A total of 5,257 questionnaires were included. Only 269 participants (5.1%) demonstrated good awareness (i.e., recognizing more than 10 out of 15 BC mythical causes). There were no notable differences in displaying good awareness between the main areas of Palestine, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank and Jerusalem (5.1% vs. 5.1%). Having chronic disease as well as visiting hospitals and primary healthcare centers were associated with a decrease in the likelihood of displaying good awareness. Myths related to food were less frequently recognized as incorrect than food-unrelated myths. ‘Eating burnt food’ was the most recognized food-related myth (n = 1414, 26.9%), while ‘eating food containing additives’ was the least recognized (n = 599, 11.4%). ‘Having a physical trauma’ was the most recognized food-unrelated myth (n = 2795, 53.2%), whereas the least recognized was ‘wearing tight bra’ (n = 1018, 19.4%). Conclusions A very small proportion of Palestinian women could recognize 10 or more myths around BC causation. There is a substantial need to include clear information about BC causation in future educational interventions besides focusing on BC screening, signs and symptoms, and risk factors.

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Awareness of Palestinian Women About Breast Cancer Risk Factors: A National Cross-Sectional Study

Cited by 9 publications

References 57 publications

Myths and Misconceptions Around Lung Cancer Causation in Palestine: Is It Time to Intervene?

Myths and Misconceptions Around Lung Cancer Causation in Palestine: Is It Time to Intervene?

Barriers to Timely Seeking of Breast Cancer Care Among Palestinian Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Common myths and misconceptions about breast cancer causation among Palestinian women: a national cross-sectional study

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