Determinants and barriers to women's participation in breast cancer screening activities in Jordan: an in-depth study

BackgroundBreast cancer is a highly prevalent cancer in women worldwide. Accumulated evidence supports the considerable benefits of screening practices in early cancer detection, which can be associated with improved survival.PurposeThe study aims to identify the factors that determine and hinder women's involvement in screening activities in Jordan.MethodsA cross-sectional design was employed to survey 650 women from various settings across multiple cities in Jordan.ResultsParticipation in breast cancer screening activities was found to be poor. The study identified that the significant individual determinants influencing breast cancer screening participation were uneasiness with one's own body, barriers related to mammography, and exposure barriers. Health motivation was identified as a determinant with a high level of perception among the participants. The primary non-individual determinants were perceived environmental barriers, the influence of religious beliefs regarding cancer, and perceived social barriers. Logistic regression analysis revealed that being married, being older, having higher confidence in performing breast self-exams, having fewer barriers to exposure to the examination, and having fewer barriers to conducting the self-exam contributed to higher participation in self-exams. On the other hand, a higher likelihood of doing mammography was associated with older age, a higher perception of susceptibility to breast cancer, a higher perception of breast mammography benefits, fewer barriers related to religious beliefs about cancer, and fewer environmental barriers.ConclusionThe study identified individual and non-individual factors influencing women's involvement in breast cancer screening services. The findings underscore the need for targeted interventions to address these barriers and enhance women's participation in screening.