I Do Not Even Say "It" - a Mixed Methods Study on Breast Cancer Awareness of Omani Women

• Published in: Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP 2016, Vol.17 (4), p.2247-2254
• Main Authors: Alkhasawneh, Esra, Siddiqui, Saad T, Leocadio, Michael, Seshan, Vidya, Al-Farsi, Yahya, Al-Moundhri, Mansour S
• Format: Article
• Language: Korean
• ISSN: 1513-7368; 2476-762X

Background: The incidence of breast cancer is rising in Oman, and the disease is diagnosed at late stages, when treatment success is limited. Omani women might benefit from better awareness, so that breast cancer can be detected early and treated. This study was conducted to assess Omani women's levels of breast cancer awareness and early detection practice, and explore factors which might influence these levels. Materials and Methods: A mixed methods study was conducted in 2014, including a quantitative survey of 1,372 and a qualitative assessment of 19 Omani women, aged ${\geq}20years$ from five Omani governorates using convenient sampling. Demographic information and scores for awareness levels were used in a multivariate regression model to investigate factors associated with awareness. Thematic analysis and interpretive description were used to analyse the qualitative data. Results: The overall means for early detection and general awareness scores were 0.58 (SD 0.24) and 0.46 (SD 0.21), respectively. General awareness was significantly associated with age, education, income and familiarity with cancer patients (p