Breast Cancer Screening Practice and Associated Factors Among Women Aged 20-70 Years in Urban Settings of SNNPR, Ethiopia

Perceived barriers and factors influencing uptake of breast cancer screening among women: a population-based cross-sectional study

Breast cancer (BC) screening plays a major role in the prevention of BC through early detection and timely treatment. This study aims to determine the level of uptake of BC screening and associated factors. A community-based analytical cross-sectional study was conducted in Dodoma City, Tanzania from July to December 2020. The study included women aged 8 years and above without a known history of breast cancer. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine the socio-demographic factors associated with BC screening. P value < 0.05 was considered significant. A total of 354 study participants were included in the present study. The mean age of participants was 31.0 ± 11.8 years. The majority of study participants (67.5%, n = 239) were aware of BC screening. However, only (35.3%, n = 125) reported to have ever practised BC screening. Breast self-examination was the most (16.4%, n = 58) frequently used method for BC screening among study participants. Lack of knowledge of all methods of BC screening was the barrier that was perceived by the vast majority (60.2%, n = 213) of the study participants. Having low family income was the only predictor of failure to practice BC screening. In this study, most of the women were aware of BC, however, few of them had undergone breast cancer (BC) screening at the time of the interview. The study also found that the main barrier to BC screening was the lack of knowledge about BC among the study participants. Immediate measures are necessary to increase women's awareness of BC. Such as community sensitization on the importance of screening, can help improve the uptake of BC screening and the early detection of BC.

Intention to Undergo Clinical Breast Examination and Its Associated Factors among Women Attending Rural Primary Healthcare Facilities in South Central Ethiopia

Background

Breast cancer is a global public health problem with higher mortality in developing countries. The Ethiopian National Cancer Control Plan recommends clinical breast examination (CBE) for all women aged >18 years. However, there is low breast examination practice in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to describe level of intention to undergo CBE and associated factors among women visited selected rural healthcare facilities in south central Ethiopia using Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB).

Methods

This study used facility-based cross-sectional study design. A total of 420 women participated in this study. Interviewer-administered structured questionnaire was adopted from previously published research works and Ajzen's TPB manual. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 27, was used for analysis. Binary logistic regression model was used to determine factors associated with intention to undergo CBE.

Results

In this study, nine out of ten women had never had CBE. Mean score for intention to undergo CBE was 12.55 (SD ± 3.22; min 5, max 20). Intention to undergo CBE was negatively associated with being in the second and middle wealth quantiles compared to the highest wealth quantile, and with the spouse not being able to read or write compared to having attended formal education. Positive attitude and higher subjective norm had relevant association with intention to undergo CBE.

Conclusion

The high score for intention to undergo CBE should encourage primary healthcare facilities to offer CBE. Behavioral change communication interventions could address women's attitude, subjective norm, and spouse's education associated with intention to undergo CBE.

Barriers and enablers of breast cancer screening among women in East Africa: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is among the most common cancers globally with a projected increase in incidence and mortality in low- and middle-income countries. The majority of the patients in East Africa present with advanced disease contributing to poor disease outcomes. Breast cancer screening enables earlier detection of the disease and therefore reduces the poor outcomes associated with the disease. This study aims to identify and synthesize the reported barriers and enablers of breast cancer screening among East African women.

METHODS

Medline, Embase, SCOPUS, and Cochrane library were searched for articles published on the subject from start to March 2022 using PRISMA guidelines. Also, forward citation, manual search of references and searching of relevant journals were done. A thematic synthesis was carried out on the "results/findings" sections of the identified qualitative papers followed by a multi-source synthesis with quantitative findings.

RESULTS

Of 4560 records identified, 51 were included in the review (5 qualitative and 46 quantitative), representing 33,523 women. Thematic synthesis identified two major themes - "Should I participate in breast cancer screening?" and "Is breast cancer screening worth it?". Knowledge of breast cancer and breast cancer screening among women was identified as the most influencing factor.

CONCLUSION

This review provides a rich description of factors influencing uptake of breast cancer screening among East African women. Findings from this review suggest that improving knowledge and awareness among both the public and providers may be the most effective strategy to improve breast cancer screening in Eastern Africa.

Identification of women's breast cancer prevention behaviors and the associated factors: The case of the Southeastern Anatolia Region

In this study, the researchers investigated the factors that affect women's breast cancer prevention behaviors. The sample of this cross-sectional and descriptive study consisted of 406 participants aged 20 and older. The study was conducted in February-March 2021 within the administrative borders of a province located in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. The data were collected via an online platform using Personal Information Form and the Scale of Factors Affecting Women's Breast Cancer Prevention Behaviors. The mean Scale of Factors Affecting Women's Breast Cancer Prevention Behaviors score of the participants was moderate as 107.20 ± 17.86. The frequency of breast cancer prevention behaviors was found to be lower in the participants with low literacy, those who were unemployed, those with low income, those living in villages and those who did not perform breast self-examination (p < 0.05). It is recommended to plan educational studies on breast cancer screening behaviors by considering regional differences.