title: Addressing Factors Associated with Arab Women's Socioeconomic Status May Reduce Breast Cancer Mortality: Report from a Well Resourced Middle Eastern Country.
abstract: Differences in socioeconomic status (SES) such as income levels may partly explain why breast cancer screening (BCS) disparities exist in countries where health care services are free or heavily subsidized. However, factors that contribute to such differences in SES among women living in well resourced Middle East countries are not fully understood. This quantitative study investigated factors that influence SES and BCS of Arab women. Understanding of such factors can be useful for the development of effective intervention strategies that aim to increase BCS uptake among Arab women. Using data from a cross-sectional survey among 1,063 Arabic-speaking women in Qatar, age 35+, additional data analysis was performed to determine the relationship between socioeconomic indicators such as income and other factors in relation to BCS activities. This study found that income is determined and influenced by education level, occupation, nationality, years of residence in the country, level of social activity, self-perceived health status, and living area. Financial stress, unemployment, and unfavorable social conditions may impede women's participation in BCS activities in well resourced Middle East countries.
authors.affiliation: Community Health Sciences, Nursing and Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada E-mail : tdonnell@ucalgary.ca.
authors.forename: Tam Truong
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.forename: Al-Hareth
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Al Khater
authors.forename: Mohamed Ghaith
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Al Kuwari
authors.forename: Salha Bujassoum
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Al-Bader
authors.forename: Mariam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abdulmalik
authors.forename: Nabila
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Al-Meer
authors.forename: Rajvir
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Tak
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fung
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018912:Arabs; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000191:economics* / Q000208:ethnology; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations; D011780:Qatar; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012923:Social Class; D058992:Social Participation