Abstract
Introduction: Early detection of breast cancer is an important factor affecting the prevention and reduction of mortality in females, which increases their quality of life. This study was performed to determine factors associated with the performance of precocious diagnostic behaviors of breast cancer based on the Health Belief Model in women working at Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences, Neyshabur, Iran. Method: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 277 employed females at Neyshabur University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using a valid and reliable questionnaire and analyzed in SPSS software (version 16) using descriptive and inferential statistical tests. Results: Mean age of the participants was 32.09 ± 7.39 years. Results of the Mann-Whitney U test showed significant differences between females who had and had not performed breast self-exams in terms of perceived importance (P=0.003), health motivation (P=0.01), and perceived barriers to breast self-exam (P=0.001). History of breast cancer in first-degree relatives (OR= 9.20), lower perceived barriers to breast self-exam (OR=0.69), and married status (OR= 0.36) showed the highest correlation with breast self-exam. Conclusion: Results showed that the Health Belief Model can help to identify factors that affect breast self-exam. These results can be used to design and implement educational interventions for breast self-exam and early diagnosis of breast cancer.
Published Version
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