Summary of the findings on cancer screening
The study sought to establish the influence of breast cancer awareness,
accessibility to breast cancer screening services, perception and attitude towards
breast cancer on the acceptance of breast cancer screening among market women
in Nairobi. From the study all the 120 women sampled were aged 18 years and
above. Majority of these women, 81.667%, had attained middle level college
qualification and therefore were in a position to understand breast cancer related
issues. It also emerged that 71.60% of the women had worked in that position for
over five years.
The study revealed that most of the women have heard of breast cancer and
therefore had the knowledge about its existence while 84.17% of the women were
not aware of any breast cancer screening method meaning they had never been
screened before. Despite the fact that majority of them knew at least one health
facility where breast cancer screening was done no one had gone to the facility for
screening. The study further revealed that social media plays a very important role
in creating awareness about breast cancer because majority of the women admitted
to have heard about breast cancer on the radio, television as well as the internet.
Local community training programs on breast cancer were also found to have a
very significant role in creating awareness even though most of them were found to
be taking place in churches.
From the study, majority of the women had very limited accessibility to breast
cancer screening services due to their low income and lack of insurance cover. It
emerged that the location of the health facilities that offered breast cancer
screening services were within reach of most women and majority of the women
used public transport to the facility while some could even walk. From the study,
only 30.833% of the women who participated in the study had been screened for
breast cancer and 81.0% of the respondents were screened for free during free
cancer screening campaigns. This therefore calls for government intervention in
reducing the cost of breast cancer screening through subsidies to enable more
women to be screened.
From the study, majority of the respondents believe that they are all at risk of
getting breast cancer irrespective of one’s age and that the disease can also affect
any woman with or without a family history of the disease. The study further
revealed that majority of the Market women believe that they have equal risk of
getting breast cancer like those women in formal employment. This is an indication
of the market women understanding that breast cancer poses a big risk to them as
well. It also emerged that majority of the women were not taking up breast cancer
screening because they believed it was a very painful exercise and therefore the
reluctance in the acceptance of breast cancer screening even though majority
agreed that the disease had higher survival rate and therefore one can live longer
once diagnosed with the disease.
The study further revealed that most women believe that breast cancer screening is
a very stressful process even though they think they will get good treatment if they
go for breast cancer screening. Majority of the women also believe that breast
cancer screening is very necessary because the disease can be treated and cured if
diagnosis is done early. The study also revealed that Market women were aware of
the vital information about breast cancer and the importance of breast cancer
screening but could not access the screening services due to lack of enough income
and insurance cover to cater for the services. It also emerged that majority of the
market women had positive perception and attitude towards breast cancer but had a
negative perception towards breast cancer screening process and this can easily
be overcome by breast cancer screening process awareness campaign mainly
through the social media as well other means like local community training
programs on breast cancer screening process.
Although most women have heard about breast cancer before, they lack vital
information such as, the benefits for breast cancer screening and types of screening
methods. Social media (radio and television) plays a big role in creating awareness
among the market women about breast cancer and despite the fact that local
community training program on breast cancer play a big role in educating women
about the disease, there are very few of such programs in the community. The
study therefore concludes that breast cancer awareness positively influences the
acceptance of breast cancer screening. This affirms the willingness of the market
women to go for breast cancer screening.
The study concludes that distance to the health facility does not influence the
acceptance of breast cancer screening but further concludes that accessibility in
terms of income and health care insurance cover such as NHIF positively
influences the acceptance of breast cancer screening. The study further concludes
that the variables perception and attitude towards breast cancer positively
influences the acceptance of breast cancer screening and a positive increase in any
one of them will positively affect the acceptance of breast cancer screening.
In regard to the findings and basing on the aim of the study on social factors and
the acceptance of breast cancer screening, the study recommends the following:
1. The government and non-governmental organization should use the social
media (radio and television) as the main channel to run the campaigns on
breast cancer screening as well as other campaigns on other health issues
affecting the general public.
2. Relevant ministries and department in conjunction with non-governmental
organization should ensure that there are community training programs on
breast cancer as well as other types of cancer in villages in order to raise the
level of awareness because such program play a big role in educating the
society by the fact that they take place at the door step.
3. Policy should be put in place that makes it compulsory for women in
informal sector to have a health cover through the national health insurance
fund; this will increase their level of accessibility to health services.
4. The government should frequently run free cancer screening campaign at
least once every month and at the same time subsidize the cost of cancer
screening to at least Ksh. 300. This will make it possible for the women in
low income area afford the service that is beyond the reach of many.
5. This research has focused only on women working at the Nairobi City Park
Market, other similar studies can also be done on women working in other
market in Nairobi or outside Nairobi as well as women working in other
types of informal settings to find out if the results differ.
6. The study suggests that similar study can also be done on women working
in the formal sector. This would determine whether these factors have
similar influence on the acceptance of breast cancer screening on the two
different sets of women.
7. Further similar study could also be done on men working in both formal
and informal sector to investigate the influence of social factors on the
acceptance of screening on cancers that affect men such as prostate cancer.
8. The study further suggest a study to be done to establish whether cancer
screening leads to change in one’s lifestyle, that is, embracing cancer
prevention measures.
