Nursing Research Study Chosen
The research study that has been selected is one conducted by Ahmadian and Samah in the countries situated in Asia. One of the theories that was addressed in the research was the health belief model. According to Ahmadian and Samah (2013), the health belief model is based on four constructs which include the advantages of taking an action that prevent a disease, the individual’s risk of acquiring a certain illness, barriers that prevent people from taking the preventive actions, and the probability of the ailment. Hence, before women agree to take a screening test, there are quite a number of factors that influence their decisions.
Purpose of the Study
The study seeks to apply the theories of health behavior to the screening of breast cancer among the women population in Asia region. Previously, it was observed that there was a low adherence to screening among the Asian women despite breast cancer being a major health concern in the region. Some of the elements that have derail the screening process among the population include cultural and pyscho-social factors (Ahmadian and Samah, 2013).
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Sample Size
The sample size included women in Jordan, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Turkey, and Singapore (Ahmadian and Samah, 2013).
Description of the Sample
The women included in the sample were those between the age of 40-59 years since they have a high prevalence of getting cancer. In addition, various factors such as culture, education level, income, age, language barrier, and occupation were put into consideration while conducting the study (Ahmadian and Samah, 2013).
Instruments Used to Measure Health Behavior
The study adopted the content analysis approach to identify the psycho-social elements that influence the screening of breast cancer among the women population in Asia. Additionally, previous studies related to education on cancer prevention were analyzed.
Research Findings
It was observed that there is little effort among the health care practitioners to educate women in Asia about the needs of cancer screening. Additionally, social-cultural interventions focused on the cognitive elements would have a significant influence on the willingness of women to adopt the issue of breast cancer screening. Another finding was that factors such as attitude, belief, perceived barrier, and social influence acted as impediments to the willingness of women to accept screening of breast cancer. Consequently, the used mammography in the Asian region was low due to the health belief model of the target population. Also, some of the women fail to understand the relevance of early screening in minimizing the magnitude of the disease (Ahmadian and Samah, 2013).
Implications for the Practice
One of the implication of the failure to adopt screening at an early stage is that it increases the prevalence of cancer among the women population in Asia. Therefore, it is essential to promote the importance of secondary prevention among women. Secondly, social-cultural aspects have acted as a major obstacle in sensitizing the women population on the importance of early screening for breast cancer. Thirdly, some of the methods used for screening such as mammography are unfamiliar to a part of the population in Asia due to the low-level of health education in some areas. Finally, there is need to also education the women at an early age on the importance of early screening to increase the rate of breast cancer screening.
Reference
Ahmadian, M., and Samah, A.A. (2013). Application of Health Behavior Theory to Breast Cancer Screening Among Asian Women. Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention . Vol 14 (7), 4005-4013.
