Women’s Health and Breast Cancer

Biography

Biography: Taghreed Al Nusairat

Abstract

Statement of the Problem: The cancer registry in Jordan derived that cancer is the second leading cause of death accounting 16.5% of deaths. Particularly in 2014, it was noted that 20.8% of new cancers are breast cancer. The majority of breast cancers cases are amendable to early detection, via periodic screening. Spreading awareness concerning breast cancer and periodic screening among the population has a positive impact on decreasing mortality. The study is aimed to explore the knowledge, attitude and practices of the female population of Jordan ages from 25 to 65 years towards early detection and screening of breast cancer. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: A qualitative and quantitative interview was conducted with individuals ages between 25 and 65 years old (n=1502) that were randomly selected. The data collected was analyzed using SPSS software, and tested for significance using t-test. Findings: Results have shown that 85% of the participants are aware of breast cancer. The source of their awareness was mainly through TV (72%) and the majority (73%) were not actively looking to increase their knowledge. Only 19% of participants underwent clinical breast examination within the past year while only13% is familiar with mammogram and were subject to it. As for the visit to early detection clinics, 56 % of the Jordanians are willing to visit the clinic if they have doubt about breast cancer, while physician’s recommendation for detection and screening was 9% and lower. Finally, only 30% of participants believe that breast cancer can be detected in early stages. Conclusion & Significance: The lack of awareness raises concerns since it leads to low practices of early detection and screening thus leading to an increase in morbidity and costs of treatment. Further initiatives should be taken to increase awareness on early detection and screening for breast cancer in the Jordanian community.