Knowledge and Behavior Among Women Referring to Health Care Institutions Screening for Breast Cancer in the South of Iran

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the most widespread type of cancer of women throughout the world. The likelihood of its treatment can be increased by screening and early detection in the early stages. The present study aimed to determine the knowledge and behavior of women referred to health care institutes of Bandar Abbas regarding screening for breast cancer. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 370 women who referred to Bandar Abbas health care centers and were selected by the cluster sampling technique. A questionnaire containing demographic characteristics, knowledge assessment, and performance evaluation was used to collect the required data. The minimum and maximum scores were within the range of 0-20 and 0-7 for wise questions and performance, respectively. Finally, data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t test, along with chi-square and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests using SPSS16. Results: The mean age of women was 55.35 ± 2.27 years. In addition, 298 (80.5%) and 72 (19.4%) of them were married and single, respectively. The mean knowledge score was 12.48 ± 3.85 and the mean score was 2.9 ± 2.29 as well. Finally, there was a significant relationship between the knowledge and behavior of the subjects (P<0.001). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, regular education programs are suggested to increase women’s knowledge. Thus, their performance is hoped to increase by extending their level of knowledge.

Barriers to breast cancer screening in Iranian females: a review article

“…For instance, there is a lack of mammography screening centers, there are no national breast cancer programs, and insurance companies cover only a small portion of the costs. (7,19,(30)(31)(32) The Women Health Volunteers (WHVs) program is an important part of Iranian health services delivery. The WHVs program is interested in local women who are trained to conduct regular home visits to disseminate health messages within their communities.…”

“…Also, standardized questionnairebased surveys were performed using the Health Belief Model to assess women's beliefs concerning breast cancer screening modalities. (7,(17)(18)(19) In another study in Neyshabur city, the investigators checked the validity and reliability of a self-report method, and calculated the effect of awareness and perceived self-efficacy on breast cancer preventive behaviors in women. (33) In another correlational study in 2017, 1509 women in rural and urban areas of Isfahan province were selected using a multistage sampling method.…”

“…The rates of performing clinical breast examinations (CBE) and rates of referral to a doctor, were also low. (7) Unfortunately, most women believe that they would only need screening programs when symptoms are detected. In addition, women are not aware of the opportunity of screening programs and their benefits as well as the timeliness of early detection of breast cancer.…”

“…Fear or worrying about any screening modality, referral to a hospital or medical center, the finding of a lump or cancer, and positive test results were the most common barriers in most studies. (7,34) In addition, lack of knowledge about curable cancers, fear of mastectomy and of radical treatments were reported. (38) Thus, some people prefer not to get informed at all if they have cancer or at least be diagnosed later so that they can live more easily and without worries instead of dealing with cancer treatment side-effects and costs.…”

“…These problems lead to an increase in women's proportions presenting with late-stage disease. (7,8) Based on the studies, screening and detection in the early stages can increase the likelihood of breast cancer treatment and prognosis. (9) The most important way to control and recognize breast cancer in the earlier stages is screening.…”