Zahra Khosravizadegan, Mehrab Sayadi, Fariba Moradi Ardekani, Fatemeh Jafari, Shirzad Javidi Al-E-Saadi, Hamed Karami, Ahad Amiri Gharghani, Aboubakr Jafarnezhad,
Volume 18, Issue 1 (3-2025)
Abstract
Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Iranian women. As lack of education and early detection programs in developing countries is the main cause of increased morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to investigate self-examination among nomadic women who have received little attention.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study with a sample size of 432 nomadic women served by the Health Center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, selected using a multistage sampling method. Information was collected through a checklist divided to demographic, awareness, breast self-examination, self-care, and screening barriers’ parts by trained staff. All analysis was done at significance level of 0.05 using Stata software version 14.
Results: The mean age of individuals was 53.09 ± 8.94 years, of which 223 (51.6%) were illiterate, and 380 (88%) married. Also, the mean score of awareness was higher in those who perform breast self-examination (BSE) 1-3 times a year (23.09 ± 8.87) and those who see a doctor for periodic examinations (25.42 ±7.29) (p<0.001). Finally, according to the Pearson test, there is an inverse and intermediate correlation between awareness and screening barriers (r=-0.309, p<0.001)
Conclusion: This study shows that awareness and barriers to screening are inversely correlated, and considering that more than half of the population is illiterate, this study may draw the attention of health authorities to increase awareness of BC and pay more attention to this population.
