Cultural, Religious and Socio-Ethical Misconceptions among Muslim Women towards Breast Cancer Screening: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer worldwide. With an estimated 685,000 deaths, female breast cancer was the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, accounting for 6.9% of all cancer deaths. Previous studies have shown that late detection and delayed diagnosis are associated with advanced-stage breast cancer and poor survival. Factors contributing to non-adherence to breast cancer screening among women were elicited from previous studies. However, few studies have focused on the Muslim community, particularly Muslim women. As such, this systematic review aims to fill this gap by collecting information from studies conducted globally over the past ten years that examined cultural, religious and socio-ethical misconceptions about breast cancer screening among Muslim women. Methods: Following the PRISMA guidelines, literature searches were conducted systematically through various databases including PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Oxford Academic Journals. Article identification, screening steps and eligibility measures were meticulously performed throughout the review. Results: A total of 22 papers were appraised and included in this review. Five main themes were generated which were socio-ethical misconceptions, cultural and religious beliefs, cultural and religious barriers, stigmatization and fear of breast cancer impact. Eight sub-themes and 14 sub sub-themes were further elicited from the main themes. Conclusion: Muslim women have socio-ethical, cultural and religious misconceptions on what constitutes health and practices as well as on the nature and etiology of BC. Cultural barriers and religious values of Muslim women were indicated to influence their health behaviors such as upholding their modesty when choosing health interventions. BC stigma and fear were also found to be key sources of psychological distress that discouraged Muslim women from undergoing BC screening. The study suggests the implementation of holistic effort in educating Muslim women to increase BC screening rate.

Correlation of death anxiety with coping strategies among Palestinian women with breast cancer: a cross-sectional study

“…Palestinian cancer patients may struggle with infertility, changing social roles, body image, sexual issues, and strained relationships ( 29 , 30 ). Many studies have found that Arab women may hide breast cancer from friends, family, and neighbors due to social stigma ( 29 , 30 ). Moreover, Arab women perceive cancer as a punishment or a divine test.…”

“…The concerns center on the stigma associated with breast examination, the potential reaction of the spouse upon discovering a lump, and the impact of cultural and religious modesty ( 30 ). This may exacerbate their psychological distress and anxiety about mortality, influencing breast cancer detection and prognosis ( 29 , 30 ). According to Madkhali et al ( 31 ), Arab women with breast cancer frequently seek medical attention only at the advanced stage of the disease, with large breast lumps that are difficult to manage at home and cause intense pain.…”

Adapting Participatory Workshops to a Virtual Setting: Co-Design With Muslim Women of a Faith-Based Intervention to Encourage Cancer Screening Uptake

“…Religious beliefs in relation to healthcare and cancer screening are complex but some studies indicated that higher levels of religiosity have been associated with delays in seeking healthcare (Azhar et al, 2022; Vu et al, 2016). Negative religious coping, viewing health problems as a punishment from God (Padela et al, 2015), and fatalistic beliefs have been reported in the literature (Moey et al, 2022). Structural factors include cost (Islam et al, 2017) and perceived discrimination (Azhar et al, 2022).…”

Quranic Texts and Hadiths to Clear Misconceptions in Encouraging Breast Cancer Screening Among Muslim Women

“…Our recent systematic review on cultural, religious and socio-ethical misconceptions among Muslim women towards BC screening (Moey et al, 2022) indicated that Muslim women with high levels of religiosity tend to perceive disease less seriously as they believe what occurred in their lives is attributable to Allah (s.w.t. ), their protector (Kawar, 2013;Hajian et al, 2017;Zorogastua et al, 2017;Shaw et al, 2018).…”

“…The systematic review was conducted on related studies that have been published globally over the past ten years. The search strategy was performed through four databases namely, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scopus and Science Direct (Moey et al, 2022).…”