Breast self-examination stages of change and related factors among Iranian housewives women

Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women worldwide. Given its low cost, wide availability, and lack of need for complex training, breast self-examination has turned into an important tool for early detection of cancer, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to determine the housewives’ awareness of breast self-examination, stages of change of BSE behavior, and the related factors among women referring to health centers of Birjand city in 2016.
This descriptive, analytic study was conducted on 450 housewives aged between 20 to 40 years referring to healthcare centers of Birjand. Sampling was performed through multistage cluster sampling method. The data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire which included a demographic characteristics section and various items on knowledge and stages of change. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed. The data were analyzed in SPSS-19 using descriptive and inferential statistical tests.
Mean age of the participants was 30.7±5.2 years and 97.8% of them were married. According to behavior change stages, 32.9% of the participants were in the pre-contemplation stage, while 19.68%, 23.3%, 18.2% and 6% were respectively in contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance stages. The mean awareness score was 6.72±2.49. Fisher exact test showed a significant relationship between the stages of change with the level of education (P=0.001), family history of breast cancer (P=0.03), and awareness (P Given the low performance of women in breast self-examination, it is required on the part of health authorities to plan and implement the needed educational interventions.