| Summary: | Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer diagnosed among women in
Malaysia. The late diagnosis is associated with educational background, the social
history of BC and ineffective health promotion strategies. The purpose of this study
is to develop a personalized and interactive mobile application using the Health
Belief Model (HBM) for breast examination awareness. Mixed-method research was
conducted in the Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) during Phase I
and III. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants [public women attending
hospital services; Hospital USM breast cancer content experts (oncology nurse,
oncology counsellor and breast surgeon); and USM Health Campus software experts
(Centre of Knowledge, Communication and Technology staff] (n=37) according to
the inclusion and exclusion criteria. An appointment was arranged according to
participants’ preference time and location. The time taken for each interview session
is approximately 30-45 minutes. In Phase I, in-depth qualitative interviews and
observation were used to identify the requirements for the mobile application. In
Phase II, a mobile application (BrAware) was designed and developed based on the
primary need and observation obtained in Phase I using HBM. In Phase III, the
usability study was conducted to validate BrAware mobile application as a health
promotion tool using the quantitative approach. The themes that emerged from the
thematic analysis are vulnerability, forecasting, reactive, influence, outcome and
obstacles. It was observed that the mobile application requirements were
infographics, video animation, valid information, attractive features, and design.
Meanwhile, observation of the available apps revealed that attention was given to perceived threat and benefit but lacking on the perceived barrier. The mean usability
score of BrAware was 85.47 (SD 11.84), which shows a good mobile app. This study
utilized data from the public women, content, and software experts in designing and
developing BrAware. It is a mobile application integrated with health theory to
promote self-awareness on BSE routine, educate on signs, symptoms and act as a
monthly reminder device for early detection of breast cancer to improve survival and
quality of life.
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