Abstract P1-11-15: Breast cancer prevention awareness and breast examination attitudes among Hong Kong women who work in a medical environment – A pilot study

Abstract

Abstract Background: Breast Cancer is the commonest female cancer worldwide and the most common female cancer in Hong Kong. Overseas studies have explored the knowledge and attitudes towards breast cancer, but most are targeted at general public. Similar studies were done among female health care personnel but mainly overseas with paucity of data within the Chinese community. This is a pilot study aiming at exploring the breast cancer prevention awareness and breast examination attitudes among Hong Kong women who work in a medical environment. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, qualitative pilot study targeting female nurses working at the Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong. We planned for 300 samples as pilot study to validate the questionnaire. This involved self-administrated questionnaires during 1st October 2013 to 30th November 2013. Altogether, 1800 questionnaires were distributed to nurses at Queen Mary Hospital through the Central Nursing Department. Results: A total of 317 completed self-administered questionnaires were collected. The age of the respondents ranged between 20-60, with the majority in the age group of 40-49 (28.4%), followed by 20-29 (27.4%). The mean years in practice was 17. Among the six diseases given for ranking (diabetes mellitus, breast cancer, hypertension, depression, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease), breast cancer is ranked as the most important disease for their age (37.2%). However, many respondents perceived the degree of risk of breast cancer during their life time to be average (34.1% with median score 5) or even lower (35% under median score 5). The knowledge towards breast cancer risk factor remained limited. Most of them did not identify late menopause (74.5%), advanced maternal age (70.6%) and young age at menarche (58.7%) as risk factors. For breast examinations, most respondents had performed breast self-examination (BSE) (91.2%), less than half of them performed BSE on a regular basis (only 39.4% performed BSE once every month). “The need of my age” (72.2%) and “I am more aware of breast cancer” (54.6%) are claimed to be the major factors encouraging them to perform BSE. Relatively few respondents had ever undergone clinical breast examination (CBE) (41.0%). Similar to the case of BSE, those who had undergone CBE are found to practise it irregularly (23.3%), comparing to 10.1% practising CBE once every year. More respondents with secondary educational level or above had mammography (p=0.000) or ultrasound (p=0.007) done than respondents with primary educational level or below which is statistically significant. Conclusion: The general breast cancer risk awareness among nurses in this pilot study is of concern. There is an unmet need to develop breast cancer preventive intervention program targeting at nurses. This pilot study helps to validate the proposed survey, and serves as the basis for our future design of appropriate intervention to enhance breast cancer awareness and improve early breast cancer prevention for female healthcare workers. Further study is warranted to be extend to female doctors, healthcare assistants and ward clerks etc. Citation Format: Janice Tsang, Siu Ting Yung, Alston Chiu, Henry Sze, Cindy Lai Shan Wong, Wendy Chan, Agnes Cheung, Eve Lai, Sin Ting Wong, To Wai Leung, Dora Kwong. Breast cancer prevention awareness and breast examination attitudes among Hong Kong women who work in a medical environment – A pilot study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2014 Dec 9-13; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(9 Suppl):Abstract nr P1-11-15.