Practice and Barriers toward Breast Self-Examination among Palestinian Women in Gaza City, Palestine

Abstract

Breast self-examination (BSE) is one of many first-line screening practices aimed at early detection and prevention of fatal outcomes of breast cancer. The present study aimed to identify Palestinian women’s practices, awareness, and barriers to BSE. Using descriptive-analytical methods, a previously validated questionnaire was administered to a conveniently selected sample of women. The study was conducted among women who visited primary health clinics (PHCs) in Gaza City. A total of 390 participants who met the selection criteria answered the self-administered questionnaires. We used SPSS version 24.0 to analyze the data. The findings suggest that the practice of BSE among women in Gaza is low, with only 40% of the study participants reporting that they never practiced BSE before, even though 76.7% reported that they were aware of BSE. In general, the main barriers to BSE practices were that participants had wrong perceptions and lacked knowledge about BSE. Others also reported fear of detecting breast cancer as a barrier. The practice of BSE among Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip is low and marred with trivial issues as barriers that could be eliminated with dedicated and extensive educational campaigns in the area.

Breast Cancer Knowledge and Practice of Breast Self-Examination among Female University Students, Gaza

“…The majority of participants heard about BSE and recognized that it is useful in early detection of BC disease. This finding is consistent with the literature [ 21 , 23 , 27 ]. Despite the students' awareness about BSE, the majority of them do not practice BSE regularly as only 31.4% do so, and the result is consistent with previous studies that showed poor practice of BSE which is between 17% and 30% among their participants [ 14 , 21 – 23 , 27 ].…”

“…This finding is consistent with the literature [ 21 , 23 , 27 ]. Despite the students' awareness about BSE, the majority of them do not practice BSE regularly as only 31.4% do so, and the result is consistent with previous studies that showed poor practice of BSE which is between 17% and 30% among their participants [ 14 , 21 – 23 , 27 ]. About 70% of the participants know the time to conduct BSE, and this figure is much higher than that of university students in other countries, 16.5% among Egyptian students [ 20 ], 42.8% among Emirate students [ 14 ], and 48.5% among Palestinian students in the west bank [ 25 ].…”

“…Students who regularly practice BSE showed that two important reasons encourage them to practice BSE, BC early detection purpose and the presence of a family history of BC. On the other hand, students who not regularly practice BSE face barriers that hinder their practice; the three most important recognized barriers are [14], unawareness of its importance and fear of results from Ahmed et al's study [20], lack of obligation and having a healthy breast in the study of Abdul-Lateef and Shabaan [22], not necessary and too busy [28], and no disease and lack of knowledge to do it [23,27]. Of the facilitators reported in the literature is the routine examination for early detection of BC [28].…”

“…On the other hand, students who not regularly practice BSE face barriers that hinder their practice; the three most important recognized barriers are they do not have a breast problem, do not know how to do it, and being busy. The literature suggests barriers that discourage practicing BSE, most of which are not knowing how to do it, forgetting, and not interested by Rahman et al's study [ 14 ], unawareness of its importance and fear of results from Ahmed et al's study [ 20 ], lack of obligation and having a healthy breast in the study of Abdul-Lateef and Shabaan [ 22 ], not necessary and too busy [ 28 ], and no disease and lack of knowledge to do it [ 23 , 27 ]. Of the facilitators reported in the literature is the routine examination for early detection of BC [ 28 ].…”

Knowledge of Breast Cancer Risk Factors and Practices of Breast Self-Examination among Women in Northern Ghana

“…The awareness of BSE among the participants in this study was widespread, with 87% of the study participants having prior knowledge of BSE. High awareness of BSE has previously been reported by studies conducted in Malaysia [22], Palestine [23], Ethiopia [24], and Nigeria [25], whereas other studies conducted in Turkey [26] reported low Awareness.…”