Determining the health beliefs and breast cancer fear levels of women regarding mammography

Abstract

Background/aim: Women’s fears and health beliefs impact their participation in early breast cancer diagnosis approaches. This study was conducted to determine the health beliefs and fear levels of women older than 50 regarding mammography. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Turkey. The study cohort consisted of 300 women selected by cluster sampling who agreed to participate in the study. A health belief model scale and breast cancer fear scale were used in data collection. Descriptive statistics, t-test, chi-square test, and correlation analysis were used in the data analysis. Results: Participants had an age average of 59.88 ± 6.49 years, and 86.3% were illiterate. Only 34.7% of women stated that they had had a mammogram in the past. The women’s average scores on the lower dimensions of the health belief model scale were determined as follows: 6.52 ± 2.81 for sensitivity perception, 18.49 ± 5.22 for seriousness perception, 16.80 ± 4.31 for health motivation perception, 15.83 ± 3.89 for mammography benefit perception, and 28.74 ± 8.35 for mammography barrier perception. The score average of the breast cancer fear scale was determined as 23.81 ± 9.71. Conclusion: We observed that women’s health beliefs and breast cancer fear levels impacted their participation in mammography.