Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore and National University Health System, Singapore.
National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2021 Jun 1;22(6):1767-1774. doi: 10.31557/APJCP.2021.22.6.1767.
There is growing evidence on cancer communication and its impact on cancer-related health outcomes; however, little is known about how women gain access to and use breast cancer information in the multi-ethnic Asian context. This paper aimed to explore the breast cancer information acquisition behaviours and needs among Singapore women who attended a community-based health organisation for mammography screening. Methods, design and setting: Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 37 racially diverse, aged 50 and above women, who have received mammography screening within the past two years. The interviews were conducted at either the Singapore Cancer Society Clinic or participant's home.
Although cancer information scanning was more prevalent than information seeking (91.9% vs. 62.2%), those who purposively seek information exhibited a higher knowledge level of breast cancer. The most commonly cited sources for information scanning were friends, television and family, and for information seeking were the Internet, pamphlets from a healthcare organisation/ public authority, and healthcare providers. Singapore women were well-informed about the benefits of mammogram; however, specific knowledge, such as modifiable risk factors, reasons for different screening options and the trade-off between harm and benefit, was still lacking which led to confusion about screening.
Breast cancer health educational materials should provide clear and balanced information to give women a more accurate or realistic expectation about mammography screening. Study findings provide important implications for breast cancer education and programs to move beyond simply raising awareness and craft specific informative messages addressing the needs of the target group.
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越来越多的证据表明癌症沟通及其对癌症相关健康结果的影响；然而，对于在多族裔亚洲背景下，女性如何获得和使用乳腺癌信息知之甚少。本文旨在探讨在参加社区为乳房 X 光筛查而设立的健康组织的新加坡女性中，乳腺癌信息获取行为和需求。
方法、设计和设置：通过对 37 名不同种族、年龄在 50 岁及以上的女性进行半结构化访谈，收集了定性数据。这些女性在过去两年内接受过乳房 X 光筛查，访谈在新加坡癌症协会诊所或参与者家中进行。
结果：尽管癌症信息扫描比信息寻求更为普遍（91.9% 比 62.2%），但那些有目的地寻求信息的人表现出更高的乳腺癌知识水平。信息扫描最常被引用的来源是朋友、电视和家庭，而信息寻求最常被引用的来源是互联网、医疗机构/公共机构的小册子以及医疗保健提供者。新加坡女性对乳房 X 光检查的益处有很好的了解；然而，特定的知识，如可改变的风险因素、不同筛查选择的原因以及危害和益处之间的权衡，仍然缺乏，这导致了对筛查的困惑。
结论：乳腺癌健康教育材料应提供清晰和平衡的信息，使女性对乳房 X 光筛查有更准确或现实的期望。研究结果为乳腺癌教育和计划提供了重要的启示，使这些计划不仅能提高认识，还能针对目标群体的需求制定具体的信息传递信息。
