title: Determination of the breast cancer risk levels and health beliefs of women with and without previous mammography in the eastern part of Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This research was conducted to determine the breast cancer risk levels of women with and without previous mammography and their beliefs on breast cancer and mammography.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample for this descriptive research consisted of women aged 50 years or older who were registered at the Family Health Center in the city center of Erzurum. The research was conducted with a total of 420 women with at least one mammography (210) and without mammography (210) who presented to the center on Wednesdays and Thursdays for any reason between 1 January 2010 and 1 January 2011. Research data were collected using the personal information "Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Form" accepted and recommended by the Turkish Ministry of Health, and the Champion's Health Belief Model Scale for Breast Cancer and Screening (CHBMS). Data were evaluated using percentages and means with the t-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to the research data, 89.8% of the women were found to be in the low risk group, 87.6% with and 91.9% without mammography. When the health beliefs of women with and without mammography were compared, it was found that susceptibility, seriousness, motivation, mammography benefit scores were higher among those with mammography (p<0.01). The mammography barrier score average was higher in the group without mammography (p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Knowing women's health beliefs, which have positive and negative effects on participating in mammography screening, may increase the rate of mammography uptake among women. Moreover, women with high breast cancer risk may be determined by increasing society's level of knowledge on breast cancer and risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Public Health Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, Ataturk University, Erzurum, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hasret Yalcinoz
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Baysal
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Polat
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008327:Mammography / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors; D014421:Turkey