Health factors among women after mastectomy

Abstract

SummaryIntroduction: The need for pro-health behaviour emerges most frequently in situations of a life change, a disease or an increased risk of falling ill. Cancer usually leads to abandonment or limitation of the life activity pursued so far. Pro-health behaviour is one of the necessary conditions of returning to fitness. Poland belongs to a group of countries with an average incidence of breast cancer, but the awareness level of disease prevention is still insufficient. Mastectomy is a strenuous treatment for a woman, both physically and psychologically, and the new situation demands change in the previous way of life.Aim of the study: The main objective of the paper was to evaluate health factors among women after mastectomy.Material and methods: The researched material was collected using standardized research tools: Health Behaviour Inventory and List of Health Criteria. The research was conducted among 104 women after radical treatment of breast cancer.Results: The dominant type of health behaviour was preventive behaviour (M = 3.72), while correct dietary habits were the least valued (M = 3.01). Differences were pointed out in valuing health by the respondents, depending on the examined demographic features.Conclusions: The general health behaviour was at a level above the average (M = 86.09). A relation of demographic features to preferred health behaviour was observed, according to the education level (r s = -0.22) and duration of the disease (r s = 0.24). The respondents put the highest value on health understood as a condition (M = 1.36) and not as an effect of conscious actions, and identified it with the ability to enjoy life.Key words: mastectomy, health behaviours, health determinants, lifestyle, women. StreszczenieWstęp: Potrzeba zachowań prozdrowotnych pojawia się najczęściej w sytuacjach zmiany życiowej, choroby lub zwiększonego ryzyka zachorowania. Choroba nowotworowa powoduje zwykle zaniechanie bądź ograniczenie dotychczasowej aktywności życiowej. Zachowania prozdrowotne są jednym z niezbędnych warunków powrotu do sprawności. Polska należy do grupy krajów o średniej zapadalności na nowotwór piersi, jednak poziom świadomo-ści profilaktyki w tym zakresie wciąż jest niedostateczny. Mastektomia jest zabiegiem obciążającym dla kobiety zarówno somatycznie, jak i psychicznie, a nowa sytuacja wymusza zmianę dotychczasowego trybu życia.Cel pracy: Ocena uwarunkowań zdrowia wśród kobiet po mastektomii. Materiał i metody: Materiał badawczy zebrano, wykorzystując narzędzia standaryzowane: Inwentarz zachowań zdrowotnych oraz Listę kryteriów zdrowia. Badania przeprowadzone zostały wśród 104 kobiet po radykalnym leczeniu raka piersi.Wyniki: Dominującym rodzajem zachowań zdrowotnych były zachowania profilaktyczne (M = 3,72), zaś najniżej ocenianym: prawidłowe nawyki żywieniowe (M = 3,01). Wykazano istnienie różnic w wartościowaniu zdrowia przez respondentki w zależności od badanych cech demograficznych.Wnioski: Respondentki osiągnęły ogólny wynik zachowań zdrowotnych na poziomie ponadprzeciętnym (M = 86,09)....

Health behaviour of miners

“…In contrast, the impact of education level was confirmed in some categories of health behaviours [22,23,27].…”

“…Nonetheless, one must bear in mind the constraints of such comparisons as health behaviours of people with various illnesses might be determined by their diagnostic process, or their treatment process which often for- A detailed analysis of the criteria used to determine health behaviours in miners showed they obtained the highest average scores in the category of mental attitude (3.40). This category also received the best average score in persons with cardiovascular diseases and in elderly people (3.43) [21,22], and in patients with type 2 diabetes, or in women who had undergone mastectomy [23], or patients with lower extremity arterial disease [24,25]. Optimistic mental attitude might influence the miners' perception of their physical and mental health.…”

Health behaviour of postmenopausal women after mastectomy – preliminary study

“…Preventive interventions against breast cancer are limited as the aetiology of the disease has not been thoroughly understood. Early detection through screening strategies are therefore strongly recommended, given that these have been associated with good prognosis and longer survival [1,2,3].…”

“…At present, almost 25% of oncological diagnoses in Polish women concern breast cancer (22.8%), and almost 70,000 people are living with this type of cancer, diagnosed in the last 5 years. Every year there are more than 16,500 new cases being diagnosed [1] and [3] and it has recently been anticipated that in the next 10 years the number of patients will increase and exceed 20,000 new cases annually [2]. Negative effects are reported not only on the lives of individuals and their families, but also on the economy of health care and economic phenomena in a broader sense [4].…”

“…Indeed, it has been reported that after mastectomy the majority of woman radically change their lifestyles and try to avoid negative health behaviours, placing greater emphasis on behaviours with a positive impact on health, such as paying attention to optimal diet, sleep duration, recreation, and physical activity. However, they struggle to give up smoking, drinking strong coffee or tea, while they check their health and carefully look for any changes that might occur [3,[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13].…”