Avicenna - Volume 2012, Issue 1

The purpose of this study was to understand health beliefs and practices of Qatari women by exploring puberty and sexual relations. A qualitative descriptive research design, using focus groups, was used in this study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit college-age Qatari women from six universities in Qatar. A total of 43 Qatari women participated in this study. NVivo 8 qualitative analysis software was used to analyze collected data. Participants reported that Qatari women lacked information about puberty and did not feel prepared for their first menstrual period (menarche). Participants also reported a lack of information about sexual relations due to their mothers’ and schools’ discomfort with the topic. Recommendations related to the investigated areas were elicited from the participants. There is a urgent need to conduct educational programs in Qatar.

Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the State of Qatar, and the incidence rate is rising. Previous findings indicate women in Qatar are often diagnosed with breast cancer at advanced stages and their participation rates in screening activities are low.

Purpose: To investigate within the State of Qatar Arabic women’s knowledge regarding breast cancer and breast cancer screening (BCS) methods and their participation rates in BCS. This paper reports on the results of a cross-sectional survey.

Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional interview survey was conducted with 1,063 Arabic women (Qatari citizens and non-Qatari Arabic-speaking residents), 35 years of age or older, from March 2011 to July 2011.

Results: Of the 1,063 women interviewed (87.5% response rate), 90.7% were aware of breast cancer; 7.6% were assessed with having basic knowledge of BCS, 28.9% were aware of breast self-examination (BSE), 41.8% were aware of clinical breast exams (CBE), and 26.9% were aware of mammograms. Of the women interviewed, 13.8% performed BSE monthly, 31.3% had a CBE once a year or once every two years, and 26.9% of women 40 years of age or older had a mammogram once a year or once every two years. Participation rates in BCS activities were significantly related to awareness and knowledge of BCS, education levels, and receiving information about breast cancer, self-examination or mammography from any of a variety of sources, particularly physicians.

Conclusions: Study results demonstrate that despite the existent breast cancer screening recommendations, less than one-third of Arabic women living in Qatar participate in BCS activities. Public health campaigns encouraging more proactive roles for health care professionals regarding awareness and knowledge of breast cancer, BCS, and the benefits of early detection of breast cancer will help increase screening rates and reduce mortality rates among Arabic women living in the State of Qatar.