Women’s Knowledge of Breast Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study Kiara Verhagen 1 , Zahra Khalaf 1 and Ghufran Jassim 2 * 1 Department of Medicine, Student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Medical University of Bahrain, Bahrain 2 Department of Family and Community Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Medical University of Bahrain, Bahrain * Corresponding author: Ghufran Jassim, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Medical University of Bahrain, Bahrain, Email: gjassim@rcsi-mub.com Received: January 08, 2018 Accepted: February 07, 2018 Published: February 12, 2018 Abstract Background: There is a recognized need for a mass population-based breast cancer screening programme in Bahrain. Better understanding of the level of knowledge and the different perceptions regarding breast cancer among women in Bahrain can potentially aid in the development of a culturally appropriate and efficient educational campaign. This study set out to explore the knowledge of women in Bahrain with regards to breast cancer risk factors, screening and treatment options. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional study including 300 participants from breast clinics in the primary health care centres in Bahrain. Questionnaires were completed via face to face interviews. Results: In terms of risk factor knowledge, 51.3% of respondents answered “yes” on whether family history is a risk to developing breast cancer. This was closely followed by 51% of participants answering “yes” with regards to BRCA genetic mutation being a risk factor. Mammogram was exceedingly the method rated as most effective for detecting BC; 13.7% gave it a rank of 1 (best). Physical examination came second in terms the percentage of respondents ranking it as the best. Furthermore, 91.0% of respondents believed that BC screening is safe. In addition, there was a statistically significant negative relationship between age of respondents and how safe screening was perceived. Education was a statistically significant positive predictor with regards to whether screening was thought to improve survival. Surgery was chosen by the majority as the most important treatment for cancer (43.7%). Conclusion: The findings of this study point to improved screening knowledge level but limited knowledge regarding risk factors and treatment. These areas can be targeted in future educational campaigns. Introduction Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide, accounting for approximately 26% of all incident cancers among women [1]. Similarly, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women diagnosed in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (GCC). The list is being led by Bahrain (age standardised incidence of 46.4 per 100,000), and closely followed by Kuwait (44.3) and Qatar (35.5) [2]. A recent study in Bahrain yielded that women present at a younger age and late stage at diagnosis, and out of the officially registered cases only 12.7% were detected by screening [3]. In 2005, Fekree and Hamadeh reported deficient knowledge of Bahraini women of breast cancer and reported a knowledge index of 32.1% ± 12.7. Only 5.6% of participants answered more than half of the questions correctly [4]. Since then no further studies have explored the progression of knowledge that accompanied the development in awareness programs and educational events of breast cancer. In Bahrain and most GCC and Middle Eastern countries, breast cancer screening is not population based and depends largely on doctor-patient opportunistic encounter. Therefore, a population-based breast cancer screening programme is increasingly seen as an unmet need [5]. However, for a mass screening program to be successful and effective, patients’ knowledge and beliefs must be assessed within this cultural context in light of the different needs and expectations [6]. Beliefs about sickness affect the way individuals think about and react to their sickness and choose among and evaluate the effectiveness of the health care practices available to them [5,7]. Health providers must take the time to understand the values and perceptions of a culture with respect to illnesses and treatments and tailor their health care provision accordingly. This study aims to explore the knowledge and perceptions of women towards breast cancer in Bahrain by targeting outpatient females visiting breast clinics in the primary health care centres. Knowledge pertaining to breast cancer is explored in three main areas: risk factors, screening, and treatment. Obtaining such information can be applied in future to aid with planning culturally appropriate preventive and educational programs to promote women’s attendance to screening programmes and therefore reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with breast cancer. Materials and Methods Study design and setting This is a coss-sectional study that took place in two venues: Naim and Hidd Health Centres, from May 2015 until December 2015. These health centres are chosen because they run a weekly breast clinic with a breast surgeon reviewing all the breast cases that have been referred from all health centres for further evaluation and management. Participants and procedure A self-administered questionnaire was given to 300 breast clinic attendees in the waiting room using convenient sampling technique. The questionnaire was given to all consenting out-patients attending the breast clinic at 2 primary health care facilities in Bahrain: Naim Health Centre and Hidd Health Centre. Study instrument The questionnaire was administered prior to the physician’s consultation and was composed of four main parts: General demographics, Knowledge and perceptions of risk factors, Knowledge and perceptions of screening, Knowledge and perceptions of treatment Jassim G, et al., J Womens Health 2022, 7:1 Journal of Womens Health, Issues and Care Research Article A SCITECHNOL JOURNAL All articles published in Journal of Womens Health, Issues and Care are the property of SciTechnol and is protected by copyright laws. Copyright © 2022, SciTechnol, All Rights Reserved.