Influence of distance to health facilities on clinical breast cancer screening behaviour among women in five sub-Saharan African countries
Abstract Background Regular breast screening is one of the most effective ways to detect early signs of breast cancer but travel distance to cancer-diagnostic facilities can affect breast screening attendance. Yet, limited studies have examined the impact of distance to cancer-diagnostic facilities...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15782-w |
| _version_ | 1797822626154938368 |
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| author | Isaac Y. Addo Evelyn Acquah Castro Ayebeng Kwamena S. Dickson |
| author_facet | Isaac Y. Addo Evelyn Acquah Castro Ayebeng Kwamena S. Dickson |
| author_sort | Isaac Y. Addo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Regular breast screening is one of the most effective ways to detect early signs of breast cancer but travel distance to cancer-diagnostic facilities can affect breast screening attendance. Yet, limited studies have examined the impact of distance to cancer-diagnostic facilities on clinical breast screening behaviour among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study examined the influence of travel distance to a health facility on clinical breast screening behaviour in five SSA countries: Namibia, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Kenya, and Lesotho. The study further assessed variations in clinical breast screening behaviour across diverse socio-demographic characteristics of women. Methods A sample of 45,945 women was drawn from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for the included countries. The DHS uses 2-stage stratified cluster sampling to select nationally representative samples of women (15–49) and men (15–64) via a cross-sectional design. Proportions and binary logistic regression were used to examine associations between the women’s socio-demographic characteristics and breast screening attendance. Results The overall proportion of survey participants who underwent clinical breast cancer screening was 16.3%. Travel distance to a health facility had a significant (p < 0.001) impact on clinical breast screening behaviour as 18.5% of participants who self-reported distance as “not a big problem” attended clinical breast screening compared to 10.8% who self-reported distance as “a big problem”. The study further found that various socio-demographic factors were significantly associated with breast cancer screening uptake, including age, education level, media exposure, wealth status, parity, contraceptive use, health insurance coverage, and marital status. The multivariate analysis controlling for other factors confirmed the strong association between distance to health facilities and screening uptake. Conclusions The study found that travel distance is a significant factor affecting clinical breast screening attendance among women in the selected SSA countries. Furthermore, the likelihood of breast screening attendance varied depending on different women’s characteristics. It is crucial to prioritise breast screening interventions, particularly among the disadvantaged women identified in this study, to achieve maximum public health benefits. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:11:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ca7bd7c5ee73496798db97e8bf0c39d6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T10:11:54Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-ca7bd7c5ee73496798db97e8bf0c39d62023-05-21T11:29:09ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582023-05-0123111110.1186/s12889-023-15782-wInfluence of distance to health facilities on clinical breast cancer screening behaviour among women in five sub-Saharan African countriesIsaac Y. Addo0Evelyn Acquah1Castro Ayebeng2Kwamena S. Dickson3Centre for Social Research in Health, The University of New South WalesCentre for Health Policy and Implementation Research, Institute of Health Research, University of Health and Allied SciencesDepartment of Population and Health, University of Cape CoastDepartment of Population and Health, University of Cape CoastAbstract Background Regular breast screening is one of the most effective ways to detect early signs of breast cancer but travel distance to cancer-diagnostic facilities can affect breast screening attendance. Yet, limited studies have examined the impact of distance to cancer-diagnostic facilities on clinical breast screening behaviour among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study examined the influence of travel distance to a health facility on clinical breast screening behaviour in five SSA countries: Namibia, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire, Kenya, and Lesotho. The study further assessed variations in clinical breast screening behaviour across diverse socio-demographic characteristics of women. Methods A sample of 45,945 women was drawn from the most recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for the included countries. The DHS uses 2-stage stratified cluster sampling to select nationally representative samples of women (15–49) and men (15–64) via a cross-sectional design. Proportions and binary logistic regression were used to examine associations between the women’s socio-demographic characteristics and breast screening attendance. Results The overall proportion of survey participants who underwent clinical breast cancer screening was 16.3%. Travel distance to a health facility had a significant (p < 0.001) impact on clinical breast screening behaviour as 18.5% of participants who self-reported distance as “not a big problem” attended clinical breast screening compared to 10.8% who self-reported distance as “a big problem”. The study further found that various socio-demographic factors were significantly associated with breast cancer screening uptake, including age, education level, media exposure, wealth status, parity, contraceptive use, health insurance coverage, and marital status. The multivariate analysis controlling for other factors confirmed the strong association between distance to health facilities and screening uptake. Conclusions The study found that travel distance is a significant factor affecting clinical breast screening attendance among women in the selected SSA countries. Furthermore, the likelihood of breast screening attendance varied depending on different women’s characteristics. It is crucial to prioritise breast screening interventions, particularly among the disadvantaged women identified in this study, to achieve maximum public health benefits.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15782-wBreast cancerMalignancyBreast screeningBreast checkBreast screenSocio-demographic characteristics |
| spellingShingle | Isaac Y. Addo Evelyn Acquah Castro Ayebeng Kwamena S. Dickson Influence of distance to health facilities on clinical breast cancer screening behaviour among women in five sub-Saharan African countries BMC Public Health Breast cancer Malignancy Breast screening Breast check Breast screen Socio-demographic characteristics |
| title | Influence of distance to health facilities on clinical breast cancer screening behaviour among women in five sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_full | Influence of distance to health facilities on clinical breast cancer screening behaviour among women in five sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_fullStr | Influence of distance to health facilities on clinical breast cancer screening behaviour among women in five sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Influence of distance to health facilities on clinical breast cancer screening behaviour among women in five sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_short | Influence of distance to health facilities on clinical breast cancer screening behaviour among women in five sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_sort | influence of distance to health facilities on clinical breast cancer screening behaviour among women in five sub saharan african countries |
| topic | Breast cancer Malignancy Breast screening Breast check Breast screen Socio-demographic characteristics |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15782-w |
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