Breast Cancer Perception Scale: Psychometric Development Study

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common cancer type with the highest mortality rate in women globally and in Turkey (1). With early diagnosis, survival and treatment increases by 90% in breast cancers (2). For cancers with genetic and environmental risk factors, measures that focus on changeable risk factors and early diagnosis are essential strategies (3,4). Healthy People 2020 program by the United States Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion objectives include reducing breast cancer mortality rate, decreasing the number of people with late-stage cancer, and improving women's breast cancer diagnosis behaviors (5). It is important for these objectives to determine women's breast cancer perceptions as breast cancer perceptions and diagnosis behaviors with healthy living are considered to be significantly associated. Perceived breast cancerPerception is the process of evaluating her recent experiences and past experiences and reaching a new whole (6). Understanding how breast cancer perceptions affect healthy living and early diagnosis behaviors are important to increase such behaviors. This study developed Breast Cancer Perception Scale by taking The Health Belief Model as a reference.In the literature, women's beliefs about mammography and breast self-examination (7), their perceived sensitivity to breast cancer, and their perceived benefits and barriers to mammography use (8), fear of breast cancer (9), fatalism toward cancer (10), and their attitude toward cancer have

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“…A moderate, significant, and positive correlation dimensions were in the range of 0.815-0.950 [13]. In this study, Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient of the scale sub-dimensions was 0.85. the total score and the sub-dimension scores of change, responsibility, and nutrition in HLAS increased significantly (p < 0.001).…”

“…It is suggested that women's healthy lifestyles are correlated to their perceptions of breast cancer and to its early detection. Therefore, it is important to determine the patterns of women's perceptions of breast cancer [13]. Perception is the process of the individual's evaluation of recent and past experiences and the achievement of a sense of the new whole [14].…”

Risk perception of non-communicable diseases: A systematic review on its assessment and associated factors

“…A total of six questionnaires were developed to measure risk perception of a group of NCDs, including CVDs, DM, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, stroke, hypertension and cancer [ 31 , 34 – 37 , 40 ]. In other eight studies, the questionnaires were designed to measure risk perception of single NCD, including breast cancer [ 30 , 32 ], cervical cancer [ 38 ], coronary heart disease [ 41 ], skin cancer [ 39 ], CVDs [ 29 ], CKD [ 33 ] and prostate cancer [ 28 ].…”

“…Of all the questionnaires, five were developed based on established theory or model such as the Health Belief Model and/or Transtheoretical Model [ 28 , 31 , 33 , 36 , 37 ]. A total of nine questionnaires were either adapted from previous questionnaires, developed based on literature review and/or expert opinion [ 29 , 30 , 32 , 34 , 35 , 38 – 41 ]. All these questionnaires are available in a variety of languages such as English [ 34 ], Arabic [ 35 ], Yoruba [ 28 ], Malay [ 33 ], Chinese [ 41 ], Dutch [ 29 ] and Spanish [ 30 ].…”

Relationship between Awareness of Healthy Lifestyle and Perception of Breast Cancer among Women of Reproductive Age

“…Perception is the process of the individual's evaluation of recent and past experiences and the achievement of a sense of the new whole [14]. Determining how breast cancer perceptions impact on healthy lifestyle awareness and early detection behaviors is also important to develop such behaviors [13]. In this context, the aim of this study was to determine the relationship between awareness of healthy lifestyle and breast cancer perception among women of reproductive age.…”