Effect of family income on knowledge, attitude and practices regarding breast cancer and its screening methods amongst women of Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the effects of total family income of a household on the knowledge, attitude and practices regarding breast cancer and its screening methods amongst women of Lahore. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 504 randomly selected women using a self-administered, structured questionnaire. The study suggested a direct relationship between the household income and the knowledge of women. Mean knowledge was 37.8% in the group having an income of PKR < 10,000. The groups having incomes PKR10,000-30,000, PKR30,000-60,000 and PKR > 60,000 had mean knowledge 44.4%, 62.7% and 66.47% respectively. Attitudes and practices were independent of the income. However, participants with a monthly income of PKR > 10,000 had a general trend of better breast self-exam practices. All the groups almost equally realized the importance of performing BSE, although, the overall practice score was low (35.4%). Findings suggested that overall knowledge was relatively weak in all participants, being lowest in the low-income groups.