Breast Cancer Awareness and Screening Among Menopaused Females in Al-Qassim Region

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most prevalent types of cancer among women worldwide including those in Saudi Arabia. The risk of developing BC can be lowered by reducing risk factors through early screening and by women having full knowledge of this condition. The aim of this study is thus to evaluate knowledge of the importance of early screening and detection of BC among post-menopausal women in Saudi Arabia's Qassim region and to compare it with pre-menopausal women. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted among post-menopausal women in the Qassim region. Data were collected by using a pre-tested, pre-coded, validated self-administered online questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS (Social Package of Statistical Science) Statistics version 23.0. RESULTS: Data were collected from 1386 women who agreed to participate in this study, of which 484 women reported that their menstruation had stopped (34.9%). In general, it was found that 73.7% of the participants had adequate knowledge with a significant difference between pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women. Concerning knowledge of BC (p = 0.042), pre-menopausal women had a higher level of knowledge (75.5% had adequate knowledge compared with 70.5% of post-menopausal women). Considering the source of knowledge of the participants regarding BC, websites or social media is considered the main source for 71.8% of the participants, followed by family and friends (52.2%). Concerning the knowledge about the risk factors of BC, 26.4% of the participants reported that they did not know them, and 11.8% of the participants did not know any of the symptoms of BC. CONCLUSION: In this study, the knowledge of post-menopausal women was found to be adequate; however, it is significantly lower than that of the pre-menopausal women. Educational level is a significant factor that affects the level of knowledge regarding BC risk factors and different modalities for diagnosis and approaches for management, and this indicates the importance of increasing interest in education in our society.