Evaluation of the relationship between health belief of breast cancer screening and health anxiety; A cross-sectional study

Özet

Breast cancer (BC) is the most frequent type of cancer among women. Screening and early diagnosis is crucial for reducing the disease burden. However the screening rates for BC is not at desired levels. Health belief and health anxiety are two conditions that affect participation in cancer screening. The aim of this study is to explore the relationship between health beliefs regarding breast cancer screening and health anxiety among women. This cross-sectional study included 301 women between 20 and 69 years of age who were admitted to the family medicine outpatient clinic. The study data was collected using the Health Anxiety Inventory (HAI) and Champion’s Health Belief Model Scale (CHBMS). The questionnaires were filled with face-to-face interview technique. To explain the relationship between anxiety and the components of the health belief model a multivariate linear regression model was used. High anxiety levels were positively correlated with the seriousness and health motivation components and negatively correlated with the self-efficacy component of the health belief model related to breast cancer (p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.001, respectively). No significant relationship was detected between anxiety and the other components of the health belief model. In this study, it was observed that people with high levels of health anxiety score high in the seriousness and health motivation components and low in the self-efficacy component of the health belief model. Health anxiety can particularly affect health behavior and its effect on the decision to engage in screening programs.