Abstract
Background: Women's awareness and beliefs about breast cancer in Saudi Arabia were not fully investigated. The aim of this descriptive study was to assess women's awareness and beliefs toward breast cancer in Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study; it was conducted among women attending the Women and Child Care Center at Alawi Royal Mall in Alaqiq for mammogram screening of breast cancer. A convenient sampling technique was used; it included women who attended the center in the period from September 2021 to December 2021, and who agreed to participate. The data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of questions on awareness and beliefs toward breast cancer. The data were analyzed using SPSS software.
Results: The current study showed that the level of awareness in women was high toward breast cancer general information (42.9%), the meaning of malignancy ( 54.3%), and ways for detecting breast cancer (42.9%), it was also shown that they had fair awareness on myths related to breast cancer (45.7%), and signs and symptoms of breast cancer (51.4%). The study also showed that the women have a high level of beliefs toward breast cancer health services (48.6%), the ability of breast cancer to be prevalent in some families (45.7%), the ways of breast cancer self-detection (34.3%), and mammogram role in early detection of breast cancer (34.3%). It was found that the occupation of women and women's level of education significantly improved the awareness in women. It was shown that the occupation of women and their level of education were significantly related to the level of beliefs toward breast cancer (21.4%) compared to 16.7% for women working in the private sectors.
Conclusion: Women in Al-Baha have a high level of awareness and beliefs about breast cancer. The occupation of women and women's level of education are associated with a high level of awareness and beliefs toward breast cancer.