Factors related to the practice of breast self-examination in registered nurses

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among Health Belief Model variables (perceived susceptibility,. seriousness, barriers, control, and health motivation), knowledge of breast cancer and breast self-examination (BSE), and sociodemographics to frequency of BSE practice in registered nurses. One hundred twenty two women completed a Demographic Data and Frequency of Breast Self-Examination Questionnaire, the Champion Health Belief Model Scale, and the Breast Cancer Knowledge Test. Pearson product moment correlation revealed perceived barriers to be inversely related to frequency of BSE practice (r = -.45, p <.001), whereas health motivation was positively related to frequency of BSE practice (r =.44, p <.001). Stepwise multiple regression using Health Belief Model variables found perceived barriers and health motivation contributed significantly to the variance in BSE frequency, accounting for 29% of the variance. When each scale was analyzed independently, barriers accounted for the largest , I portion of the variance (20.2X), and health motivation accounted for 8.5%. Relative to the findings, implications for nursing practice and future nursing research are addressed,