TDNet Discover

Background: More than 3 million women have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. It is clearly identified that early diagnosis of breast cancer results in improved outcomes for women, thus compliance with screening recommendations reduces fatalities nationwide. Many factors have previously shown to influence a woman’s decision to participate or not participate in breast cancer screenings. A current comparison of barriers and incentives to screening is needed to determine what significantly influences screening participation today. By identifying and removing barriers to screening participation, compliance rates should improve and lead to decreased fatalities related to breast cancer. Objective: The purpose of this survey research was to study women over the age of 18 in the United States with a current or prior diagnosis of breast cancer to determine what factors most significantly influence their knowledge of breast cancer and lead to their participation in self-breast awareness, clinical breast examinations and/or radiologic screenings, which ultimately lead to the discovery of their breast cancer. Methods: Research was conducted by performing a snowball sampling, cross-sectional survey study design using the online survey tool SurveyMonkey disseminated via social media pages to include Facebook, Instagram, and various breast cancer support organizational websites. It was determined for a population size of 3,100,000 with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%, a minimum sample of 385 participants was needed. Frequency tables and multiple regression analyses were utilized to quantitatively evaluate the data. Statistical significance was set at a p value of less than or equal to 0.5. Word trending was utilized for qualitative analysis. Results: The survey yielded 1273 responses, but only 448 were included for analysis after all criteria was applied. The study sample consisted of women, median age 31, 57.68% Caucasian, median income of $30,000 - $99,999, and 65.26% married. This data showed FACTORS INFLUENCING BREAST CANCER EXAMS iii that cost is a statistically significant barrier, while family history and chronic disease are incentives to seek screening. While frequency tables indicated moderate incidence rates of fear as a barrier, the analysis presented that education, fear, and social stigma were not statistically significant barriers for this sample. Medical providers were strongly supported in this research to be a reliable source of education in the screening process. Conclusion: Cost remains the leading barrier to seek breast cancer screenings despite government financial assistance guidelines. It was not identified if responses related to cost were perceptual barriers or if knowledge deficit of cost sharing resources were responsible. Actual cost versus knowledge deficit of financial assistance resources needs to be researched further with a larger sample size to determine if change can be made by the provider or if policy revisions are needed. This research can assist medical providers in identifying barriers and improve care plans to impact participation compliance for women in breast cancer screening, assisting in improving early diagnosis through all screening methods and better patient outcomes.