Public Health Open Access (PHOA)
ISSN: 2578-5001
Research Article
Northern Upper Egyptian Female Workers’ Beliefs Regarding
Breast Cancer according to Health Belief Model: Effect of an
Educational Program
Abstract
Background: The Health Belief Model is a cognitive paradigm that explains poor participation in disease prevention initiatives. It focuses on the belief that a specific behaviour will improve or prevent health and the desire to avoid illness. Aim: The current study was conducted to evaluate effect of an educational program on Northern Upper Egyptian female workers’ beliefs regarding breast cancer according to health belief model. Subjects and Method Design: A quasi-experimental design.
Sample and Settings: 323 working women at Beni-Suef University, ages 18 to 60, were selected as a sample.
Tools: Tool I: A Structured Interviewing Questionnaire Sheet; It was concerned with the personal and socio-demographic details of the studied females (6 Questions).
Tool II: Health Belief Model Questionnaire to measure pregnant women's psychological readiness to take positive action regarding the prevention of breast cancer. It includes six subscales for health belief.
Tool III: Supportive material (Arabic booklet).
Results: It that more than half (52.3%) of the studied female workers have a negative beliefs toward pre-HBM pre-implementation regarding breast cancer, breast self-examination, and breast cancer preventive measures, which decreased 2.5% of them post-implementation, while only 0.6% of them have a positive beliefs increased to 63.2% of them post-HBM implementation. The improvement affected by female workers’ age, educational level, age of marriage, marital status, residences, monthly income, mammogram, and breast problem history.
Conclusion and Recommendations: Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that workers’ total and all sub-items beliefs regarding breast cancer and its preventive measures as measured by the health belief model after the health education program was observed after program implementation. Further studies should study relationship between reproductive profile and health belief model regarding breast cancer and its preventive measures.
Keywords: Northern Upper Egyptian; Breast Cancer; Health Belief Model; Educational Program
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