Identifying women's descriptions of breast tissue for the promotion of breast self‐examination

The purpose of this study was to identify women's descriptions of their breast tissue. Concrete objective descriptions of the breast, in women's own words, are important to formulate an intervention, based on a self‐regulation framework, designed to promote breast self‐examination. Descriptions were initially generated from open‐ended interviews with 27 women scheduled for mammography. The initial descriptions were validated by an additional 25 women scheduled for mammography. The descriptions of the breast that are relevant to women are presented, conclusions for a subsequent intervention study drawn, and implications for practice addressed.