Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Women Regarding Breast Cancer Screening Behaviors in Mashhad, Iran

Background & aim: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers and second leading cause of cancer mortalities among women. The present study aimed to measure the levels of knowledge, attitude, and practice of women regarding breast cancer screening behaviors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 406 women who referred to five health centers in Mashhad and were selected using the multistage sampling technique within July 2018 to June 2019. The data were collected through a self-structured questionnaire, including four sections of demographic characteristics, knowledge, attitude, and practice towards breast cancer screening behaviors. The data were analyzed using Chi-square, Pearson's correlation coefficient and linear regression tests. Results: The mean score of women’s age was 33.5±10.3 years. 49.1% and 7.9% of the participants had a low level of knowledge and negative attitudes toward breast cancer screening, respectively, which led to the poor practice of women in this regard (29.1%). According to the Pearson's correlation coefficient, the practice of breast cancer screening behaviors had a significant positive correlation with the scores of knowledge (r=0.20; P=0.04) and attitude (r=0.35; P=0.03). The findings of the linear regression of contextual variables indicated that there was a significant relationship between a family history of breast cancer and positive practice (P=0.001). Conclusion: Inadequate knowledge and moderate attitudes toward breast cancer screening led to moderate to poor practice in the majority of women. It is suggested to perform studies on the necessity of appropriate and effective educational methods on breast cancer screening behaviors.