Determinants of Breast Cancer Screening in Three Arab American Women Subgroups

Abstract

Introduction Arab American women (AAW) have significantly low mammography screening (MS) rates; religious and sociocultural factors may serve as facilitators or barriers to screening. Understanding associations with screening practices and attitudes is imperative. The purpose of this study was to examine associations of sociodemographic characteristics with perceived benefits and barriers to MS and explore relationships of MS with sociodemographics, and perceived benefits and barriers in Muslim and Christian AAW from three Arab countries, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt. Method In this exploratory, cross sectional study, a convenience sample of 316 AAW completed a survey that combined sociodemographics and the Arab Specific-Culture Barriers instrument. Results Religion was significantly associated with perceived benefits and country of birth had a significant association with perceived barriers. Significant relationships were found between some variables and MS. Discussion This study provided insights into facilitators and barriers influencing behaviors and attitudes regarding MS in AAW. Additional efforts are to be made to overcome barriers within a religious and cultural context to empower these women.