Nageeti Tahani H, Abdelhameed Arwa A N, Jastania Raid A, Felemban Rania M
Jeddah Oncology Centre, King Abdullah Medical City, Holly Capital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
J Family Community Med. 2017 May-Aug;24(2):97-101. doi: 10.4103/2230-8229.205116.
To assess the perspective of Saudi women in the Makkah region on breast cancer awareness and early detection.
A mixed method study was conducted among 25-65 years old healthy Saudi females from Makkah region during the awareness campaign in October 2014. The participants were recruited by personal invitations at the women's places of work and social gatherings. The initial invitations were issued by either the research coordinator or the investigator. All women were asked to complete a short questionnaire on basic knowledge on breast cancer. This was followed by focus group discussions. All interviews were carried out by female breast cancer consultant oncologists. All discussion transcripts were summarized and categorized into main themes; data presented as frequencies and percentages.
Forty Saudi females, aged 25-65 years, were included in the study. Nearly 38% of them had never attended any awareness campaign on breast cancer. Only 10% of the participants correctly answered all five basic questions on the risk and early detection of breast cancer; 63% of the women had never been taught breast self-examination. Participants' perception was discussed in five focus groups. Four themes were identified during the discussions: knowledge about breast cancer and screening; resources of breast cancer awareness; social support for access to awareness program; and beliefs on breast cancer and early detection.
We recommend that strategies on breast cancer awareness in our population should focus on early detection by improving the knowledge and skills of women. These strategies should include programs widely accessible through primary health-care centers and other health-care institutions. In addition, we recommend that physicians and family members should be involved in these programs.
评估麦加地区沙特女性对乳腺癌认知和早期检测的看法。
2014年10月开展提高认知活动期间，对麦加地区25至65岁的健康沙特女性进行了一项混合方法研究。通过在女性工作场所和社交聚会中亲自邀请招募参与者。最初的邀请由研究协调员或调查员发出。所有女性都被要求完成一份关于乳腺癌基本知识的简短问卷。随后进行焦点小组讨论。所有访谈均由女性乳腺癌顾问肿瘤学家进行。所有讨论记录都进行了总结并归类为主要主题；数据以频率和百分比呈现。
40名年龄在25至65岁之间的沙特女性纳入了该研究。其中近38%的人从未参加过任何关于乳腺癌的提高认知活动。只有10%的参与者正确回答了关于乳腺癌风险和早期检测的所有五个基本问题；63%的女性从未接受过乳房自我检查的教导。在五个焦点小组中讨论了参与者的看法。讨论期间确定了四个主题：关于乳腺癌和筛查的知识；乳腺癌认知的资源；获得认知项目的社会支持；以及对乳腺癌和早期检测的信念。
我们建议，针对我们人群的乳腺癌认知策略应通过提高女性的知识和技能来侧重于早期检测。这些策略应包括通过初级保健中心和其他医疗机构广泛提供的项目。此外，我们建议医生和家庭成员应参与这些项目。
