de Kruif Anja JThCM, Chrifou Rabab, Langeslag Ghislaine L, Sondaal Annemijn E C, Franssen Margret M M, Kampman Ellen, Winkels Renate M, de Boer Michiel R, Visser Marjolein, Westerman Marjan J
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Amsterdam UMC location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
PLoS One. 2020 Jul 7;15(7):e0235662. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235662. eCollection 2020.
The number of non-Western immigrants with breast cancer in the Netherlands has increased over the past decades and is expected to triple by 2030. Due to insufficient representation in clinical studies, it is unclear what the specific experiences and needs of these women are. Understanding how culture and religion affect these women's experience of breast cancer and how they deal with chemotherapy and treatment-related changes in body weight and lifestyle is crucial for health care professionals to be able to provide effective support.
A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 28 immigrant women with a history of breast cancer treated with chemotherapy.
Women often associated breast cancer with taboo, death or bad luck. Religion offered these women guidance, strength and meaning to the disease, but also limited the women to openly talk about their disease. Women perceived lifestyle factors to have little influence on the development and treatment of cancer. After treatment, however, their thinking changed and these lifestyle factors became of paramount importance to them. They realised that they missed out on information about managing their own diet, exercise and body weight and were eager to share their experiences with other women in their culture with newly diagnosed breast cancer.
Women became aware during and after breast cancer treatment that it was difficult for them to actively deal with their illness under the influence of their culture and religion. Based on their own experiences and acquired knowledge, they would like to give advice to newly diagnosed women on how to deal with breast cancer within their own culture and religion. Their recommendations could be used by mosques, churches, support groups and health care professionals, to ensure interventions during breast cancer treatment meet their religious and cultural needs and thus improve their quality of life.
在过去几十年中，荷兰患乳腺癌的非西方移民数量有所增加，预计到2030年将增至三倍。由于临床研究中这类人群的代表性不足，尚不清楚这些女性的具体经历和需求。了解文化和宗教如何影响这些女性对乳腺癌的体验，以及她们如何应对化疗及治疗相关的体重和生活方式变化，对于医疗保健专业人员提供有效支持至关重要。
采用半结构式访谈对28名有乳腺癌病史且接受过化疗的移民女性进行了定性研究。
女性常将乳腺癌与禁忌、死亡或厄运联系在一起。宗教为这些女性提供了应对疾病的指引、力量和意义，但也限制了她们公开谈论自己的病情。女性认为生活方式因素对癌症的发生和治疗影响不大。然而，治疗后，她们的想法发生了变化，这些生活方式因素对她们变得至关重要。她们意识到自己错过了关于饮食、运动和体重管理的信息，并渴望与同文化中刚被诊断出乳腺癌的其他女性分享自己的经历。
女性在乳腺癌治疗期间及之后意识到，在文化和宗教的影响下，她们很难积极应对自己的疾病。基于自身经历和所学知识，她们希望就如何在自身文化和宗教背景下应对乳腺癌向新确诊的女性提供建议。清真寺、教堂、支持团体和医疗保健专业人员可以采用她们的建议，以确保乳腺癌治疗期间的干预措施满足她们的宗教和文化需求，从而提高她们的生活质量。
