title: General Breast Cancer Awareness among Women in Riyadh City
abstract: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women globally as well as in Saudi Arabia. Early diagnosis can
  improve prognosis and breast self-examination (BSE) may be a cost effective way to achieve this. In Saudi Arabia,
  only a few studies have been conducted to address breast cancer awareness. Most showed a suboptimal level of
  understanding. During the last few years, Saudi Arabia has established many national campaigns to increase awareness
  of the disease and facilitate learning about different diagnostic procedures. This cross-sectional survey study was
  conducted in accordance to assess the current knowledge and practices of women regarding breast self-examination
  and mammography screening in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The sample comprised of 137 females aged 18 and older. Data
  were collected using face-to-face interviews with a modified Arabic version of a validated questionnaire and analyzed
  using SPSS. Similar to previous studies’, the results were suboptimal. Out of the 137, about 54% claimed they are aware
  of breast cancer and BSE, however, only 62% of them knew how to conduct self-examination. Far fewer were aware
  of mammography screening (38%). When asked about the source of breast cancer information, most of the women
  answered awareness campaigns (39%) while school/university and TV (22% each) were the sources for others. This
  highlights the importance and urgent need for continued awareness campaigns. Moreover, special awareness sessions
  need to be conducted in institutions like colleges, universities, and hospitals where the proportion of females is higher.
authors.affiliation: College of Medicine, Almaarefa Colleges, Zhejiang University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Email: Fatimah.almousawi@gmail.com
authors.forename: Shibl
authors.initials: Sh
authors.lastname: Al Otaibi
authors.forename: Mutaz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al Harbi
authors.forename: Abdulaziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al Kahmoas
authors.forename: Fahad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Al Qhatani
authors.forename: Fahad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Al Mutairi
authors.forename: Talal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Al Mutairi
authors.forename: Refan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Al Ajmi
authors.forename: Fatimah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Al Mousawi
keywords: Breast cancer; awareness; breast self-examination; mammography; Riyadh; Saudi Arabia