Barriers of breast self-examination among Omani women

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most life-threatening health issues in women and an exceptionally fatal disorder. Breast cancer can be addressed through health education and proper screening such as breast self-examination (BSE). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the knowledge, practices, a...

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Main Authors: Zalikha Al-Marzouqi, Noora S Al-Jabri, Aida Al-Dhoani, Iman Al-Risi
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2025-07-01
Series:Advances in Biomedical and Health Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/abhs.abhs_71_24
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author Zalikha Al-Marzouqi
Noora S Al-Jabri
Aida Al-Dhoani
Iman Al-Risi
author_facet Zalikha Al-Marzouqi
Noora S Al-Jabri
Aida Al-Dhoani
Iman Al-Risi
author_sort Zalikha Al-Marzouqi
collection DOAJ
description Background: Breast cancer is one of the most life-threatening health issues in women and an exceptionally fatal disorder. Breast cancer can be addressed through health education and proper screening such as breast self-examination (BSE). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the knowledge, practices, and barriers to BSE among women in Oman. Methods: We used a nonexperimental, quantitative, cross-sectional design, with data collected at a single point. This study was conducted in the North Batinah Governorate in Oman with 533 women from various primary healthcare institutions. Results: The study revealed that over 80% of the women surveyed were aware of breast cancer, and 70% had a good understanding of BSE. However, practicing BSE was challenging. Only a small percentage of women (10.1%, n = 54) regularly performed BSE every month, and a minority (25.9%, n = 138) started performing BSE at the age of 20 years. Approximately, over half of the women (n = 269) occasionally practiced BSE, while 54% (n = 288) started practicing BSE at the age of 40 years. Conclusion: This study revealed several barriers to BSE. These barriers include the practical aspects of BSE, fear of a potential breast cancer diagnosis, and embarrassment associated with BSE. This study is necessary and crucial for mothers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers, as it furthers the knowledge of BSE within the Omani context. The significance of this study cannot be magnified, as it directly affects the health and well-being of Omani women, emphasizing the urgent demand for action.
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spelling doaj-art-d21641540b2e40fa8aece45c6ea667fb2025-08-20T04:02:17ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsAdvances in Biomedical and Health Sciences2773-15452773-15532025-07-014310911810.4103/abhs.abhs_71_24Barriers of breast self-examination among Omani womenZalikha Al-MarzouqiNoora S Al-JabriAida Al-DhoaniIman Al-RisiBackground: Breast cancer is one of the most life-threatening health issues in women and an exceptionally fatal disorder. Breast cancer can be addressed through health education and proper screening such as breast self-examination (BSE). Therefore, we aimed to investigate the knowledge, practices, and barriers to BSE among women in Oman. Methods: We used a nonexperimental, quantitative, cross-sectional design, with data collected at a single point. This study was conducted in the North Batinah Governorate in Oman with 533 women from various primary healthcare institutions. Results: The study revealed that over 80% of the women surveyed were aware of breast cancer, and 70% had a good understanding of BSE. However, practicing BSE was challenging. Only a small percentage of women (10.1%, n = 54) regularly performed BSE every month, and a minority (25.9%, n = 138) started performing BSE at the age of 20 years. Approximately, over half of the women (n = 269) occasionally practiced BSE, while 54% (n = 288) started practicing BSE at the age of 40 years. Conclusion: This study revealed several barriers to BSE. These barriers include the practical aspects of BSE, fear of a potential breast cancer diagnosis, and embarrassment associated with BSE. This study is necessary and crucial for mothers, healthcare professionals, and policymakers, as it furthers the knowledge of BSE within the Omani context. The significance of this study cannot be magnified, as it directly affects the health and well-being of Omani women, emphasizing the urgent demand for action.https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/abhs.abhs_71_24barriersbreast self-examinationknowledgepractices
spellingShingle Zalikha Al-Marzouqi
Noora S Al-Jabri
Aida Al-Dhoani
Iman Al-Risi
Barriers of breast self-examination among Omani women
Advances in Biomedical and Health Sciences
barriers
breast self-examination
knowledge
practices
title Barriers of breast self-examination among Omani women
title_full Barriers of breast self-examination among Omani women
title_fullStr Barriers of breast self-examination among Omani women
title_full_unstemmed Barriers of breast self-examination among Omani women
title_short Barriers of breast self-examination among Omani women
title_sort barriers of breast self examination among omani women
topic barriers
breast self-examination
knowledge
practices
url https://journals.lww.com/10.4103/abhs.abhs_71_24
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AT noorasaljabri barriersofbreastselfexaminationamongomaniwomen
AT aidaaldhoani barriersofbreastselfexaminationamongomaniwomen
AT imanalrisi barriersofbreastselfexaminationamongomaniwomen