Al-Khamis Noura Khamis
Family and Community Medicine Department, King Khalid University Hospital, P.O. Box 11375, Riyadh, 395540, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
J Cancer Educ. 2018 Apr;33(2):391-397. doi: 10.1007/s13187-016-1119-x.
In Saudi Arabia, breast cancer is diagnosed at advanced stage compared to Western countries. Nevertheless, the perceived barriers to delayed presentation have been poorly examined. Additionally, available breast cancer awareness data are lacking validated measurement tool. The aim of this study is to evaluate the level of breast cancer awareness and perceived barriers to seeking medical care among Saudi women, using internationally validated tool. A cross-sectional study was conducted among adult Saudi women attending a primary care center in Riyadh during February 2014. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire based on the Breast Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM-breast). Out of 290 women included, 30 % recognized five or more (out of nine) non-lump symptoms of breast cancer, 31 % correctly identified the risky age of breast cancer (set as 50 or 70 years), 28 % reported frequent (at least once a month) breast checking. Considering the three items of the CAM-breast, only 5 % were completely aware while 41 % were completely unaware of breast cancer. The majority (94 %) reported one or more barriers. The most frequently reported barrier was the difficulty of getting a doctor appointment (39 %) followed by worries about the possibility of being diagnosed with breast cancer (31 %) and being too busy to seek medical help (26 %). We are reporting a major gap in breast cancer awareness and several logistic and emotional barriers to seeking medical care among adult Saudi women. The current findings emphasized the critical need for an effective national breast cancer education program to increase public awareness and early diagnosis.
与西方国家相比，沙特阿拉伯的乳腺癌多在晚期才被诊断出来。然而，对于就诊延迟的感知障碍却鲜有研究。此外，现有的乳腺癌认知数据缺乏经过验证的测量工具。本研究旨在使用国际认可的工具，评估沙特女性对乳腺癌的认知水平以及她们在寻求医疗护理时所感知到的障碍。2014年2月，我们在利雅得一家初级保健中心对成年沙特女性进行了一项横断面研究。数据通过基于乳腺癌认知量表（CAM-乳房）的自填问卷收集。在纳入的290名女性中，30%的人识别出了（九种中的）五种或更多乳腺癌的非肿块症状，31%的人正确识别出乳腺癌的高危年龄（设定为50岁或70岁），28%的人报告经常（至少每月一次）进行乳房检查。考虑到CAM-乳房的三个项目，只有5%的人对乳腺癌完全了解，而41%的人对乳腺癌完全不了解。大多数人（94%）报告了一种或多种障碍。最常报告的障碍是难以预约医生（39%），其次是担心被诊断出患有乳腺癌（31%）以及太忙而无法寻求医疗帮助（26%）。我们发现成年沙特女性在乳腺癌认知方面存在重大差距，并且在寻求医疗护理时存在一些后勤和情感障碍。当前的研究结果强调迫切需要开展有效的全国性乳腺癌教育项目，以提高公众意识并促进早期诊断。
