Social Determinants of Breast Cancer Screening among Married Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Regular cancer screening is the best way for early detection of breast cancer, but studies showed the low participation rates of screening in Iran. We aimed to determine breast cancer screening among married women and related factors in North of Iran. Study design: A cross-sectional study.

This cross-sectional study was carried out from Jan to Mar 2017 among 1472 married women in an urban population in Rasht City, North of Iran. Data were collected using a questionnaire included socio-demographic information and breast cancer screening behaviors. Descriptive statistics, chi-square and logistic regression were used for data analyzing with SPSS.

The mean age of women was 35.1 ±6.5 years. Majority of women never performed clinical breast examination (70.7%) and regular monthly breast self-examination (52.2%). Only women over 40 yr performed mammography. Mammography performance was associated with health insurance (OR=4.99; 95% CI: 1.10, 22.53) and family history (OR=1.60; 95% CI: 1.19, 2.19), clinical breast examination was associated with age of women (OR=2.87; 95% CI: 1.90, 4.32) and breast self-examination was associated with age and occupation of women [OR=1.67; 95 % CI: 1.16, 2.39, OR=1.65; 95% CI: 1.19, 2.29) respectively].

The rate of breast cancer screening was low among married women. Therefore considering the structural and cultural barriers, effective health education is essential to reduce inequality and increase the efficiency of screening programs.