Breast Self-examination, the Health Belief Model, and Sexual Orientation in Women

Abstract

This study investigated relationships among sexual orientation in women, breast self-examination (BSE) practice, and the Health Belief Model (HBM). The Champion Health Belief Scale was administered to 303 women over 35 years of age, with nearly equal samples of heterosexual and lesbian women. Significant differences were found for BSE practice between heterosexual and lesbian women, while only the HBM construct “health motivation” was found to significantly discriminate between the subsamples. The HBM constructs—“susceptibility,” “health motivation,” “confidence,” and “barriers”—were found to explain a significant portion of the variance of BSE in both subsamples. Heterosexual women were more likely than lesbian women to practice BSE regularly and to pursue preventive health care in general and annual gynecological examinations specifically. Implications include educating lesbian women on the importance of preventive medical care, and reducing barriers to its practice among the lesbian population.