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.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of breast cancer fear levels of female seasonal agricultural laborers between ages 40 and 60 on breast cancer early-diagnosis behaviors and perceptions. This is a cross-sectional study. The data of the study were collected between February and September 2014 in Şanlıurfa, Turkey. A sample of the study group consisted of 350 women. The data were assessed by using SPSS 16.0 statistics package software. Descriptive statistics, t test, chi-square, and correlation analysis were used to analyze the data. Considering that breast cancer fear levels are effective on the breast cancer early-diagnosis behaviors and health beliefs, it can be recommended for the health care staff to carry out initiative works to reduce the fear levels.

Demographic factors as well as factors such as women's knowledge on early diagnosis of breast cancer and previous experiences in participation in early diagnosis behaviors of breast cancer could affect the barrier perception.