Yameen Muhammad Arfat, Anjum Sanaa, Khan Warda, Ali Atif, Khan Hira, Zhang Zhongkun, Alqahtani Naji, Samreen Sana
Department of Pharmacy, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abbottabad Campus, Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Department of Mathematics, University of Wah, Wah Cantt, Pakistan.
Med Sci Monit. 2025 Apr 2;31:e947608. doi: 10.12659/MSM.947608.
BACKGROUND Breast cancer (BC) is a significant health issue in Pakistan, leading to higher mortality rates compared to other countries. Therefore, this questionnaire-based study aimed to assess knowledge, awareness, and beliefs about BC in 300 women in Abbottabad, Pakistan, between January and April 2019. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthy adult female residents of Abbottabad between January and April 2019 using structured, pre-validated questionnaires. Data collection was conducted through face-to-face interviews. The questionnaire was divided into 3 sections with 17 items, including demographic information, knowledge about BC, and beliefs about BC. Data were analyzed using the SPSS version 25. A total of 300 women responded to the study invitation. RESULTS Of 300 respondents, 87.3% (n=262) were aware of BC. Among them, only 37 (14.1%) had good knowledge, 90 (34.4%) had average knowledge, and 135 (51.5%) had poor knowledge about BC. The majority of respondents exhibited positive beliefs (74%). Knowledge was significantly higher among single (6.77±2.87) and widowed (6.00±3.65) women compared to married women (p=0.001). Similarly, knowledge and beliefs about BC were higher among women with higher education (6.79±2.93; p=0.001; 6.76±2.12; p=0.025) compared to those with lower education. Women living in urban areas had greater knowledge (5.89±2.75) than those in rural areas (4.58±2.78), suggesting a significant difference. A weak positive correlation between knowledge and beliefs (r=0.336, p=0.001) was identified. CONCLUSIONS Study participants had low knowledge about BC but generally positive beliefs, highlighting the need for targeted education and awareness programs to improve knowledge about BC among women in Abbottabad.
背景
乳腺癌是巴基斯坦一个重大的健康问题，与其他国家相比，其死亡率更高。因此，这项基于问卷调查的研究旨在评估2019年1月至4月期间巴基斯坦阿伯塔巴德300名女性对乳腺癌的认知、认识和看法。
材料与方法
2019年1月至4月期间，在阿伯塔巴德健康成年女性居民中开展了一项横断面研究，使用经过预验证的结构化问卷。通过面对面访谈收集数据。问卷分为3个部分，共17项，包括人口统计学信息、对乳腺癌的认知以及对乳腺癌的看法。使用SPSS 25版软件进行数据分析。共有300名女性回应了研究邀请。
结果
在300名受访者中，87.3%（n = 262）知晓乳腺癌。其中，只有37人（14.1%）有良好的认知，90人（34.4%）认知一般，135人（51.5%）对乳腺癌的认知较差。大多数受访者表现出积极的看法（74%）。单身女性（6.77±2.87）和丧偶女性（6.00±3.65）的认知明显高于已婚女性（p = 0.001）。同样，与受教育程度较低的女性相比，受教育程度较高的女性对乳腺癌的认知和看法更高（6.79±2.93；p = 0.001；6.76±2.12；p = 0.025）。居住在城市地区的女性比农村地区的女性有更丰富的认知（5.89±2.75），差异显著。知识与看法之间存在弱正相关（r = 0.336，p = 0.001）。
结论
研究参与者对乳腺癌的认知较低，但总体看法积极，这凸显了需要开展有针对性的教育和宣传项目，以提高阿伯塔巴德女性对乳腺癌的认知。
