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Cited by 27Women's cancer prevention and managementGlobal Cancer Incidence and ScreeningBreast Lesions and Carcinomas

Recognising socio-cultural barriers while seeking early detection services for breast cancer: a study from a Universal Health Coverage setting in India

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Sawhney, Riya, Nathani, Priyansh, Patil, Priti, Bhandarkar, Prashant, Veetil, Deepa Kizhakke, Venghateri, Jubina Balan, Roy, Nobhojit, Gadgil, Anita·2023·BMC Cancer
DOI 10.1186/s12885-023-11359-3PMC PMC10507865
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Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the commonest cancer among women in India, yet the uptake of early detection programs is poor. This leads to late presentation, advanced stage at the time of diagnosis, and high mortality. Poor accessibility and affordability are the most commonly cited barriers to screening: we analyse socio-cultural factors influencing the uptake of early detection programmes in a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) setting in India, where geographical and financial barriers were mitigated. Methods: Two hundred seventy-two women engaging in an awareness-based early detection program were recruited by randomization as the participant (P) group. A further 272 women who did not participate in the early detection programme were recruited as non-participants (NP). None of the groups were previously screened for breast cancer. Interviews were conducted using a 19-point questionnaire, consisting of closed-ended questions regarding demographics and social, cultural, spiritual and trust-related barriers. Results: The overall awareness about breast cancer was high among both groups. None of the groups reported accessibility-related barriers. Participants were more educated (58.09% vs 47.43%, p = 0.02) and belonged to nuclear families (83.59% vs 76.75%, p = 0.05). Although they reported more fear of isolation due to stigma (25% vs 14%, p = 0.001), they had greater knowledge about breast cancer and trust in the health system compared to non-participants. Conclusions: The major socio-cultural barriers identified were joint family setups, lower education and awareness, and lack of trust in healthcare professionals. As more countries progress towards UHC, recognising socio-cultural barriers to seeking breast health services is essential in order to formulate context-specific solutions to increase the uptake of early detection and screening services.

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Sawhney, R., Nathani, P., Patil, P., Bhandarkar, P., Veetil, D. K., Venghateri, J. B., Roy, N., & Gadgil, A.
Affiliations
  • World Health Organization - India (IN)
  • Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (IN)
  • Karolinska Institutet (SE)
  • George Institute for Global Health (IN)
Corresponding author
Roy, Nobhojit
ORCID
Venue
BMC Cancer
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2023-09-19
Volume
23
Issue
1
Pages
881-881
ISSN
1471-2407 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12885-023-11359-3
PMC
PMC10507865
OpenAlex
W4386864303
Cited by
27
References
1
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 3 · 2022: 1
FWCI
6.66
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Cancer (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Karolinska Institute
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Women's cancer prevention and management
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Global Cancer Incidence and Screening
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Breast Lesions and Carcinomas
Keywords
breast cancer, early detection, breast cancer screening, socio-cultural barriers, universal health coverage, screening uptake, stigma, trust in healthcare providers, family structure, educational attainment, awareness, women's health, India
MeSH terms
Breast, Breast Neoplasms, Female, Humans, India, Universal Health Insurance, Early Detection of Cancer

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