Breast cancer presentation delays among Arab and national women in the UAE: a qualitative study
Breast cancer (BC) is a disease that has improved prospects for survival if detected and treated early. Delayed help-seeking behavior, with poor survival as a consequence, is an important public health issue in the Middle East. More than 75% of breast cancer patients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2016-12-01
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| Series: | SSM: Population Health |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827316000148 |
| _version_ | 1828840824218058752 |
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| author | Yusra Elobaid Tar-Ching Aw Jennifer N.W. Lim Saima Hamid Michal Grivna |
| author_facet | Yusra Elobaid Tar-Ching Aw Jennifer N.W. Lim Saima Hamid Michal Grivna |
| author_sort | Yusra Elobaid |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Breast cancer (BC) is a disease that has improved prospects for survival if detected and treated early. Delayed help-seeking behavior, with poor survival as a consequence, is an important public health issue in the Middle East. More than 75% of breast cancer patients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) seek medical advice after experiencing a sign or symptom of the disease and many seek such advice late. Our aim was to explore factors influencing delayed presentation for treatment after self-discovery of symptoms consistent with breast cancer in Arab women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and to explore facilitators and barriers of women’s health seeking behavior in the complex religiously dominated society of the UAE. A qualitative descriptive approach using semi-structured interviews was used. We interviewed nineteen BC survivors aged 35–70 who have experienced delayed presentation to treatment after symptomatic recognition of BC. The time interval between initial experience of symptoms consistent with BC, and taking action to seek medical help was between three months to three years. The key themes that emerged from the interviews were varying responses to symptom recognition, fear of societal stigmatization, and concerns regarding abandonment by spouse because of BC. Culture has a strong influence on the decisions of women in the UAE society. The lack of awareness about signs and symptoms of BC and routine screening has an important effect on symptom appraisal and subsequently decision making regarding options for treatment. Keywords: Breast cancer, Presentation delay, In depth interviews, Health seeking behavior |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T19:50:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fd38824cbeba4aec9290197868484bea |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2352-8273 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T19:50:08Z |
| publishDate | 2016-12-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SSM: Population Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-fd38824cbeba4aec9290197868484bea2022-12-22T00:14:00ZengElsevierSSM: Population Health2352-82732016-12-012155163Breast cancer presentation delays among Arab and national women in the UAE: a qualitative studyYusra Elobaid0Tar-Ching Aw1Jennifer N.W. Lim2Saima Hamid3Michal Grivna4Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, P.O. Box 17666, United Arab Emirates; Correspondence to: Post-Doctoral Researcher, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, P.O. Box 17666, United Arab Emirates.PAPRSB Institute of Health Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, BruneiDepartment of Allied and Public Health, Faculty of Medical Science, Anglia Ruskin University, Young Street, Cambridge CB1 1PT, United KingdomHealth Services Academy, Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination/Government of Pakistan, Islamabad, PakistanInstitute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, P.O. Box 17666, United Arab EmiratesBreast cancer (BC) is a disease that has improved prospects for survival if detected and treated early. Delayed help-seeking behavior, with poor survival as a consequence, is an important public health issue in the Middle East. More than 75% of breast cancer patients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) seek medical advice after experiencing a sign or symptom of the disease and many seek such advice late. Our aim was to explore factors influencing delayed presentation for treatment after self-discovery of symptoms consistent with breast cancer in Arab women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and to explore facilitators and barriers of women’s health seeking behavior in the complex religiously dominated society of the UAE. A qualitative descriptive approach using semi-structured interviews was used. We interviewed nineteen BC survivors aged 35–70 who have experienced delayed presentation to treatment after symptomatic recognition of BC. The time interval between initial experience of symptoms consistent with BC, and taking action to seek medical help was between three months to three years. The key themes that emerged from the interviews were varying responses to symptom recognition, fear of societal stigmatization, and concerns regarding abandonment by spouse because of BC. Culture has a strong influence on the decisions of women in the UAE society. The lack of awareness about signs and symptoms of BC and routine screening has an important effect on symptom appraisal and subsequently decision making regarding options for treatment. Keywords: Breast cancer, Presentation delay, In depth interviews, Health seeking behaviorhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827316000148 |
| spellingShingle | Yusra Elobaid Tar-Ching Aw Jennifer N.W. Lim Saima Hamid Michal Grivna Breast cancer presentation delays among Arab and national women in the UAE: a qualitative study SSM: Population Health |
| title | Breast cancer presentation delays among Arab and national women in the UAE: a qualitative study |
| title_full | Breast cancer presentation delays among Arab and national women in the UAE: a qualitative study |
| title_fullStr | Breast cancer presentation delays among Arab and national women in the UAE: a qualitative study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Breast cancer presentation delays among Arab and national women in the UAE: a qualitative study |
| title_short | Breast cancer presentation delays among Arab and national women in the UAE: a qualitative study |
| title_sort | breast cancer presentation delays among arab and national women in the uae a qualitative study |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352827316000148 |
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