Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice of Women towards Breast Cancer and Its Screening: Babol City, Iran – 2017

Background and purpose: Considering the high prevalence and the reduction of the age of breast cancer in Iran, the present study was conducted to survey women's knowledge, attitude and practice about breast cancer and its screening tests in Babol city. Materials and Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 304 women aged 20-65 years (in Hashemi Healthcare Centre affiliated to Babol University of Medical Sciences) who were selected through random sampling were studied over a period of six months in 2017. Data collection was carried out using a standard questionnaire including demographic variables, 12 questions about knowledge, 15 questions about attitude, and 2 questions about practice. The collected data were then analyzed using SPSS (V: 22) by ANOVA, chi-square, and correlation coefficient. Results: The mean age of the participants was 43.3 ± 10.4 years. 22.3% of the participants had a good knowledge, and 61.8% had a positive attitude. Only 17.1% undertook screening examinations. There was also a significant relationship between age and education level with knowledge, attitude, and practice of women (P <0.001). However, there was found no significant relationship between the presence of cancer in relatives with knowledge (P=0.131), attitude (P=0.996), and practice of the women (P= 0.131). Conclusions: Increasing awareness about breast cancer is emphasized, especially in older women or the ones with lower education.