Knowledge, Attitude and Beliefs Women Attending Mammography Units have Regarding Breast Cancer and Early Diagnosis

Abstract

<br/><b>Objective</b>: Breast cancer is an extremely important issue that threats women’s health; it is the most commonillness that leads to death in women, worldwide. The purpose of this descriptive-comparative study was todetermine the knowledge, attitude, and beliefs women attending mammography units have regarding breastcancer and early diagnosis. <br/><b>Methods</b>: The study population comprised 333 women visiting second and third stagemammography units for a mammography, and 1018 women visiting first stage mammography units at CancerSurveying and Training Centres. Questionnaires determining the descriptive characteristics of women, and theirattitudes towards breast cancer and early diagnosis, a knowledge evaluation form, and the Turkish version ofthe Champion’s Health Belief Model Scale was used to gather data. <br/><b>Results</b>: The rate of obtaining informationabout early diagnosis in breast cancer (88.6%), information about breast self-examination (87.6%), conductingbreast self-examination (61.8%), and undergoing a clinical breast examination (99.6%) were higher in the groupof women attending first stage mammography units in comparison to women attending other mammographyunits. The knowledge score (71.8+18.8) of women attending first stage mammography units regarding breastcancer and early diagnosis was also higher in comparison to women attending other mammography units (p=.00).Sub-scales of the breast cancer health belief model scale were high for women attending Cancer Surveying andTraining Centres, while their perception of self breast examination limitations and mammography limitationswere low. <br/><b>Conclusion</b>: Based on the effect of peer education, this study proves that women attending first stagemammography unit have a higher level of knowledge about breast cancer and early diagnosis, and more positivehealth beliefs regarding breast cancer and screenings in comparison to women attending other mammographyunits.