Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify breast cancer risk factors and reasons for having mammography of the women who applied for mammography, as well as to determine their level of knowledge about risk factors and level of risk perception, and anxiety concerning breast cancer. This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted from June 15, 2010 through September 10, 2010, in a university hospital in Ankara, Turkey. A questionnaire prepared by the researchers was used to collect the data. The mean age of the women was 52.1 ± 9.98 years. Sixteen percent of the women had a family history of breast cancer. The majority of participants had mammograms (75.8%) before and had gained knowledge about breast cancer and its screening (73.7%). The leading source of information about breast cancer was physicians (46.2%). Physician recommendations, having breast-related complaints, and family history of breast cancer were important reasons to obtain mammography. The mean knowledge score about risk factors of breast cancer was 4.15 ± 2.73 and the mean anxiety score was 1.65 ± 1.61. It was found that some socio-demographic and obstetrical characteristics of women, their family history, and risk perceptions about breast cancer affect their knowledge and anxiety scores about breast cancer. In conclusion, the present study identified a number of factors affecting mammography participation for women. The results of this study can be helpful in promoting screening for breast cancer.
Highlights
Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer mortality, accounting for 16% of cancer deaths in women
The aim of this study was to identify breast cancer risk factors and reasons for having mammography of the women who applied for mammography, as well as to determine their level of knowledge about risk factors and level of risk perception, and anxiety concerning breast cancer
Data collection form was included 26 questions related to socio-demographic and descriptive characteristics, 1 question related to perceived anxiety level about breast cancer, and 1 question related to perceived breast cancer risk
Summary
Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer mortality, accounting for 16% of cancer deaths in women. According to report from the Ministry of Health of Turkey, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death for women, with an incidence of 35.5 cases per 100,000 (Secginli and Nahcivan, 2011). Gender and age are major risk factors for breast cancer. Detection and effective treatment are important to reduce morbidity and mortality of breast cancer. Studies have showed that BSE and CBE are not efficient enough for early diagnosis because of their lack of reliability and they have a limited effect alone on the breast cancers mortality (Kearney and Murray, 2009).
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