Breast Cancer Beliefs and Screening Practices among Syrian Refugee Women and Jordanian Women

Fatin Atrooz, Sally Mohammad Aljararwah, Chiara Acquati, Omar F. Khabour and Samina Salim ()
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Fatin Atrooz: Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Sally Mohammad Aljararwah: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
Chiara Acquati: Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA
Omar F. Khabour: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 22110, Jordan
Samina Salim: Department of Pharmacological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204, USA

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 4, 1-12

Abstract: Despite significant declines in breast cancer (BC) incidence in the West, this disease is widespread in Jordan, where cancer detection occurs at much advanced stages. This is particularly concerning for Syrian refugee women resettled in Jordan, who are less likely to undergo cancer preventative procedures because of poor health literacy and lack of health services access. The present work assesses and compares breast cancer awareness and breast cancer screening behaviors among Syrian refugee women and Jordanian women residing close to the Syrian–Jordanian border city of Ar-Ramtha . A cross-sectional survey was conducted using a validated Arabic version of the Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire (BCSBQ). A total of 138 Syrian refugee women and 160 Jordanian women participated in the study. Results indicate that 93.6% of Syrian refugee women and Jordanian women ≥ 40 years of age reported never having undergone a mammogram. Syrian refugee women and Jordanian women reported low attitudes toward general health checkup (mean score for Syrian refugees 45.6 vs. 42.04 among Jordan women; p = 0.150). Barriers for BC screening were higher among Syrian refugees (mean score = 56.43) than Jordanian women (mean score = 61.99, p = 0.006). Women with higher education were more likely to report fewer barriers to screening ( p = 0.027). The study documents a significant lack of BC screening awareness among Syrian refugee women and Jordanian women, indicating that future work is needed to alter current attitudes towards mammograms and early detection measures especially for Syrian refugee women and Jordanian women residing in rural areas of Jordan.

Keywords: breast cancer; Syrian refugees; Arab women; Jordan; mammogram; breast cancer screening (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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