Beliefs About Breast Cancer and Help-Seeking Intentions for the Disease Among Women in India

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most frequently occurring malignancy among women in India, however, the recorded stage distribution at presentation in India is less favorable than in Europe. Health beliefs are important in help-seeking for potential symptoms of disease, which may be particularly important among women who do not have access to breast screening programs. The purpose of this study was to examine Indian women's beliefs about breast cancer and help-seeking for the disease and how these beliefs related to their intentions to seek help for a symptom of breast cancer. Furthermore, the study aimed to examine differences in the beliefs of urban- and rural-based women. Of 800 women, 685 were recruited in Allahabad in Northern India (response rate 86%). The women completed a questionnaire examining beliefs about breast cancer and help-seeking. One in four women reported that they would delay seeking help for at least one month following the discovery of a symptom of breast cancer. Rural respondents held more negative beliefs about breast cancer and were also more likely to report less positive attitudes toward help-seeking and a belief that they would be discouraged from seeking help. The findings of the study provide suggestions for the targeting of an intervention aimed at improving early detection and help-seeking for breast cancer symptoms. This may be of particular importance in India where a breast cancer screening program does not currently exist and is being debated.

Beliefs of Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors About Competitive Employment for People With Severe Mental Illness in Belgium

“…The PBC measures correlated significantly (r = −.246, p < .001). Cronbach's alpha for the product items is rather low (α = .68), which is not surprising as it is already reported in several studies that PBC scales tend to have a low internal reliability (Askelson et al, 2010;Grunfeld, & Kohli, 2010;Klöckner & Matthies, 2009;Roncancio, Ward, & Fernandez, 2013). "Self-efficacy" was also rated on a six-point Likert-type scale with each respondent indicating their confidence to overcome each barrier (1 = not at all confident to 6 = very confident).…”

Illness Representations of Cancer among Healthy Residents of Kolkata, India

“…This is a serious concern due to the implications of rising cancer rates (Takiar et al, 2011) as well as more far-reaching consequences, such as national healthcare costs. Our search revealed one study that assessed four of Leventhal's illness representations (identity, timeline, consequences, cure/control) among 800 women in Allahabad, India (Grunfeld and Kohli, 2010). Respondents indicated relatively neutral beliefs about the timeframe and consequences associated with cancer and slightly positive beliefs about controllability of breast cancer.…”

Investigating the Contribution of Benefits and Barriers on Mammography Intentions of Middle Class Urban Indian Women: An Exploratory Study

“…In particular, health communication campaigns should highlight the benefits of obtaining a mammogram, even when there is no history of breast cancer in the family. Existing research (e.g., Grunfeld & Kohli, 2010) has indicated that rural Indian women believe that they would be discouraged from seeking help for breast cancer. It is noteworthy that this study underscores the importance of messages promoting mammography to be framed such that they highlight the benefits toward the whole family, as well as form a part of at-risk asymptotic women's routine health care regimen.…”

“…Similarly, Grunfeld and Kohli (2010) examined Indian women's beliefs about breast cancer and help-seeking to understand how these influenced their intentions to seek help for breast cancer symptoms. Grunfeld and Kohli found that the respondents held negative beliefs about breast cancer, suggesting that messages providing beneficial information about the contribution of mammograms in the overall health Communication Research Reports 237 care routine of at-risk women should influence intentions toward obtaining mammograms.…”

“…Although there is controversy about age and frequency of obtaining mammograms, its contribution in reducing breast cancer mortality by early detection has been demonstrated (Jatoi, 1999). Ultimately, the success of a breast cancer screening program in India (Grunfeld & Kohli, 2010) will rest on its ability to systematically tailor message design focusing on identified beliefs among target populations.…”