RESUMO
To estimate breast cancer risk among Bahraini women aged 35 years and older attending primary healthcare centers. Primary healthcare centers. Cross sectional descriptive study. One hundred seventy-two women aged 35 years and older were assessed for the risk of invasive breast cancer risk using the modified Gail model. The study was performed from 1 February to 31 May 2005. A questionnaire was used to collect information on five years and lifetime breast cancer risks. Four percent of the women had a high risk [
RESUMO
To evaluate breast cancer knowledge among Bahraini women aged 20 years and more attending primary health care centers. Primary health care. Cross sectional descriptive study. Three hundred Bahraini women attending the primary health care clinics were interviewed from 1st February to 31st May 2005. A multistage sample was selected with a cluster sampling technique for the selection of one health center from each region; five health centers were selected. The sample was stratified according to the percentage of females residing in each region. A semi-structured questionnaire was used for interviewing the study participants. Seventeen [5.6%] women knew more than half of the correct answers, and the mean "Percent Knowledge Index" was 32.1% +/- 12.7%. Newspapers, television, radio, were identified as the main source of knowledge of breast cancer. Highly educated women were more knowledgeable about breast cancer [p=0.002], diagnostic modalities [p=0.008], and risk factors [p<0.0001]. Women with positive family history of breast cancer knew more about treatment modalities than those without a history [p=0.017]. Moreover, no significant differences were found between the general knowledge and its subtypes among women with positive or negative personal history of breast complaints. Breast cancer knowledge was deficient among Bahraini women. Efforts to improve women's education should be encouraged. Breast cancer should be included as a subject in the high school curricula, with emphasis on modifiable risk factors. The maximum use of media should be encouraged in breast cancer campaigns