Public awareness of women toward breast cancer and its screening methods in Tabuk city, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the second leading cause of women death in the world. It can emerge at any age, but women above 40 are more commonly affected. Objective: To assess the public awareness of women towards breast cancer and methods of screening, and to determine the relationship between level of awareness with different socio-demographic factors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among women of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, via non-probability sampling technique. Data collection was done through online self-administered questionnaire. Results: Total 431 women were included in this study. Almost 40% were aged 18 to 30 years. The mean awareness score of participants was 17.3 ± SD 3.5 out of a total of 24 points. More than half of females revealed good awareness (52.7%). In addition, about 72.6% women knew that breast cancer is very common and most of them admitted that different methods of screening are not harmful but useful. Breast lump was most frequently recognized symptom of breast cancer. Furthermore, significant associations were found between level of awareness and age, marital status, occupational status, and age of menarche. Conclusion: The results showed intermediate level breast cancer awareness and screening methods. However, this level still insufficient. Therefore, educational interventions are recommended to provide awareness of breast cancer. Above listed associated factors should be considered while applying these interventions.