College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, 112612, UAE.
Faculty of Medical Sciences, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Tyne, UK.
J Community Health. 2021 Oct;46(5):942-950. doi: 10.1007/s10900-021-00969-2. Epub 2021 Mar 23.
Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most prevalent cancers and the leading cause of cancer related deaths among women worldwide with a steadily increasing global annual incidence. This study aims is to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of females in the UAE toward BC and Breast Self-Examination practice in the seven Emirates. This was a face-to-face questionnaire-based study using CAM (Breast Cancer Awareness Measure) conducted over 3 months (from March to June 2019) on a random sample of females across the UAE. Of the 400 females who filled the questionnaire, 112 (28%) did the CBE at least once, and 184 (46%) practice BSE. Only 33% of participants were aware of the incidence of the BC in the UAE and those females were more likely to practice BSE (P < 0.05). In contrast, the majority showed a high awareness level in identifying cancer as a curable (91.5%) and non-transmittable (87%) disease that can be diagnosed at its earlier stages (93%). Only 11% of the participants identified weight reduction as a way to prevent BC. Knowledge of breast cancer sign/symptoms were good, as 41-87% of respondents were able to identify at least a single sign/symptom. The lack of awareness of BC among females in the UAE is of concern as it leads to low practices of screening and early detection, which ultimately will result in increased morbidity, mortality, and treatment costs. Further initiatives should be taken to increase practice, knowledge and awareness on early detection and screening for BC in the UAE community.
乳腺癌（BC）是全球最常见的癌症之一，也是女性癌症相关死亡的主要原因，其全球年发病率呈稳步上升趋势。本研究旨在评估阿联酋女性对 BC 的知识、态度和实践，以及在七个酋长国进行乳腺癌自我检查的情况。这是一项基于面对面问卷调查的研究，使用 CAM（乳腺癌意识测量），在 3 个月（2019 年 3 月至 6 月）内对阿联酋各地的随机女性样本进行了调查。在填写问卷的 400 名女性中，有 112 名（28%）至少进行过一次 CBE，184 名（46%）进行过 BSE。只有 33%的参与者了解阿联酋的 BC 发病率，这些女性更有可能进行 BSE（P<0.05）。相比之下，大多数女性表现出对癌症是一种可治愈（91.5%）和非传染性疾病（87%）的高度认识，这种疾病可以在早期阶段诊断出来（93%）。只有 11%的参与者认为减轻体重是预防 BC 的一种方法。对乳腺癌体征/症状的认识较好，因为 41-87%的受访者能够识别出至少一种体征/症状。阿联酋女性对 BC 的认识不足令人担忧，因为这导致筛查和早期检测的实践率较低，最终将导致发病率、死亡率和治疗成本增加。应采取进一步的举措，以提高阿联酋社区对 BC 早期检测和筛查的实践、知识和意识。
