{"title":"Cultural Beliefs and Perceptions of Breast Cancer Among Adolescent Girls in Semi-Urban Bangladesh: A School-Based Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"Ryadul Alam, Sadia Akter, Tanaa Mohammad, Rowshanara Rini, Mst Mariyam, Afrana Akter Priti, Aishwaria Mitra Ayshee, Md Shahriar Hossen Sayem, Afsana Mohammad Mimi, Zubaida Iftekhar, Md Habibullah Talukder, Md Tajuddin Sikder","doi":"10.1002/puh2.70369","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and poses a growing public health burden in developing countries, including Bangladesh. Cultural stigma, limited awareness, and delayed recognition contribute to late diagnosis, particularly among younger females. This study examines cultural beliefs and perceptions of breast cancer among adolescent girls in semi-urban Bangladesh.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescent girls in semi-urban Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from January to May 2025. Four schools were randomly selected, and 384 participants were recruited using stratified random sampling. Cultural beliefs about breast cancer were assessed using a modified 13-item Ferrans Cultural Beliefs Scale, translated into Bangla using a committee-based approach. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 with descriptive statistics, <i>t</i>-tests, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression.</p><p><strong>Result: </strong>Cultural belief score is 7.38 ± 2.08, rooted misconceptions among participants. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that a higher class of study was positively associated with cultural belief scores (<i>β</i> = 0.236, <i>p</i> = 0.037), whereas having a family history of breast cancer was strongly associated with lower cultural belief scores (<i>β</i> = -1.979, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Reliance on friends as a source of information significantly increased cultural belief scores (<i>β</i> = 1.358, <i>p</i> < 0.001). Parental education and average monthly family income were not significant predictors (<i>p</i> > 0.05).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Adolescent girls in semi-urban Bangladesh showed a moderate level of cultural beliefs about breast cancer, with a higher class of study, reliance on friends as an information source, and the absence of a family history of breast cancer associated with a greater endorsement of these beliefs, underscoring the need for early, culturally sensitive school-based education.</p>","PeriodicalId":74613,"journal":{"name":"Public health challenges","volume":"5 3","pages":"e70369"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2026-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13577932/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Public health challenges","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1002/puh2.70369","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2026/9/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"","JCRName":"","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and poses a growing public health burden in developing countries, including Bangladesh. Cultural stigma, limited awareness, and delayed recognition contribute to late diagnosis, particularly among younger females. This study examines cultural beliefs and perceptions of breast cancer among adolescent girls in semi-urban Bangladesh.
Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescent girls in semi-urban Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from January to May 2025. Four schools were randomly selected, and 384 participants were recruited using stratified random sampling. Cultural beliefs about breast cancer were assessed using a modified 13-item Ferrans Cultural Beliefs Scale, translated into Bangla using a committee-based approach. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 with descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression.
Result: Cultural belief score is 7.38 ± 2.08, rooted misconceptions among participants. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that a higher class of study was positively associated with cultural belief scores (β = 0.236, p = 0.037), whereas having a family history of breast cancer was strongly associated with lower cultural belief scores (β = -1.979, p < 0.001). Reliance on friends as a source of information significantly increased cultural belief scores (β = 1.358, p < 0.001). Parental education and average monthly family income were not significant predictors (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Adolescent girls in semi-urban Bangladesh showed a moderate level of cultural beliefs about breast cancer, with a higher class of study, reliance on friends as an information source, and the absence of a family history of breast cancer associated with a greater endorsement of these beliefs, underscoring the need for early, culturally sensitive school-based education.
背景：乳腺癌是妇女中最常见的癌症，在包括孟加拉国在内的发展中国家造成越来越大的公共卫生负担。文化上的耻辱、有限的认识和延迟的认识导致了晚期诊断，特别是在年轻女性中。本研究考察了孟加拉国半城市地区少女对乳腺癌的文化信仰和看法。方法：在2025年1月至5月期间，对孟加拉国达卡半城市萨瓦尔的青春期女孩进行了一项以学校为基础的横断面研究。随机选择4所学校，采用分层随机抽样法，共招募384名参与者。对乳腺癌的文化信仰采用修改后的13项费朗斯文化信仰量表进行评估，并使用基于委员会的方法翻译成孟加拉语。数据分析采用SPSS version 26，采用描述性统计、t检验、单因素方差分析和多元线性回归。结果：文化信念得分为（7.38±2.08）分。多元线性回归分析显示，较高的研究等级与文化信念得分呈正相关（β = 0.236, p = 0.037），而有乳腺癌家族史与较低的文化信念得分呈正相关（β = -1.979, p β = 1.358, p p > 0.05）。结论：孟加拉国半城市地区的青春期女孩对乳腺癌的文化信仰程度中等，她们的学习水平较高，依赖朋友作为信息来源，并且没有乳腺癌家族史，这些都与这些信仰的更大认可有关，强调了早期、文化敏感的学校教育的必要性。
求助内容：
应助结果提醒方式：
京公网安备 11010802042870号
