Association of eating habits and cooking methods with breast tumors among childbearing aged urban women in Indonesia: A cross-sectional study

Background: This study aimed to determine the associations of eating habits and cooking methods with a breast tumor in childbearing aged Indonesian urban women. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study using a research of non-communicable disease 2016 database from the ministry of health of Indonesia. In total 28558 women, aged 25 – 49 years old were retrieved from the database. Eating habits and cooking methods were measured using a validated food frequency questionnaire. A forward logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of eating habits and cooking methods with the risk of breast tumors. Results: Higher education level was positively associated with the incidence of breast tumor (OR = 1.10, 95%CI: 1.01-1.20, p = 0.026). Seafood (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.80-0.96, p = 0.006) and fast foods (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00-1.20, p = 0.049) were significantly associated with the incidence of breast tumor among urban women. Roasted/smoked cooking method was positively associated with risk of breast tumor (OR = 1.27, 95%CI: 1.01 – 1.61, p = 0.043). Conclusion: Our study is the first community-based study in Indonesia investigating the association of eating habits and cooking methods with the incidence of breast tumors among childbearing aged urban women. High intake of seafood was associated with a lower risk of breast tumors while fast foods and roasted/smoked cooking method belief to have a detrimental effect on a breast tumor. Prospective studies are needed to confirm the present study findings.