Relationship Between Breast Cancer Fear and Mammography Self-Efficacy among Women over 40 in Babylon, Iraq

Abstract

Aim:  This study aim to determine the relationship between the fear of breast cancer and mammography self-efficacy of women over the age of 40 living in Iraq.

 Method: The research was conducted with 386 women recruited in the main primary health care centers of Hilla I and II sectors from June 1, 2022, to September 1, 2022. The research is cross-sectional and relational. Data were collected using the form Champion Mammography Self-Efficacy Scale-Arabic version and the Champion Breast Cancer Fear Scale-Arabic version.

 Results: The mean age of women is 48.46±6.83, 38.6% are university graduates, 75.4% are married, 68.1% have children, 54.7% work, 61.7% income equal to the cost, 76.7% have good health, 91.5% have no family history of breast cancer, 88.3% have no breast problems, 61.1% have received information about breast cancer, 97.2%  had no history of breast cancer. 66.6% of women do not do breast self-examination, 77.5% do not have a clinical breast examination, 90.2% have not had mammography before, and nurses or doctors have recommended 6.2% of them. A statistically significant correlation was found between self-efficacy and fear as weakly positive (r=0.147) (p=0.004).

Conclusion: It was found that Iraqi women had a high level of mammography self-efficacy and fear of breast cancer. There is a significant relationship between mammography self-efficacy and fear of breast cancer.