Do Men and Women in Saudi Arabia Have the Same Level of Awareness and Knowledge of Breast Cancer? A Cross-Sectional Study

Figures & data

Table 1 Socio-Demographic Characteristics of Participants

Sociodemographic Variables	Total n (%)	Men n (%)	Women n (%)
Total	40,713	9691	31,022
Age
<20	11,631 (29)	1929 (20)	9702 (31)
21–30	16,231 (40)	3849 (40)	12,382 (40)
31–40	8052 (20)	2359 (24)	5693 (18)
40+	4654 (11)	1536 (16)	3118 (10)
Number of children
No children	24,432 (61)	5181 (54)	19,251 (63)
One or more children	15,840 (39)	4406 (46)	11,434 (37)
Marital status
Married	16,975 (42)	4697 (49)	12,278 (40)
Single	21,479 (53)	4468 (46)	17,011 (55)
Widowed/divorced	2076 (5)	488 (5)	1588 (5)
Occupation
Unemployed	3729 (39)	3729 (39)	21,898 (71)
Employed	5505 (57)	5505 (57)	8345 (27)
Retired	348 (4)	348 (4)	541 (2)
Education
Below high school	3320 (8)	795 (8)	2525 (8)
High school/diploma	15,597 (39)	3940 (41)	11,657 (38)
University	19,020 (47)	3982 (41)	15,038 (49)
Postgraduate	2588 (6)	920 (10)	1668 (5)
Family income (SAR/month)
<8000	11,956 (30)	2730 (29)	9226 (31)
9000–15,000	15,288 (39)	3618 (38)	11,670 (39)
16,000–25,000	7983 (20)	2050 (22)	5933 (20)
>26,000	4147 (11)	1136 (12)	3011 (10)
Region
Western	10,586 (26)	2705 (28)	7881 (26)
Eastern	6653 (16)	1401 (15)	5252 (17)
Central	10,524 (26)	1944 (20)	8580 (28)
Northern	5469 (14)	1622 (17)	3847 (12)
Southern	7200 (18)	1970 (20)	5230 (17)
Family history of breast cancer
Yes	7178 (18)	1532 (16)	5646 (18)
No	28,752 (72)	6712 (71)	22,040 (72)
I do not know	4185 (10)	1271 (13)	2914 (10)

Table 2 Participants’ Responses to General Knowledge Questions About Breast Cancer and its Symptoms

General Knowledge Questions	Total n (%)		Men n (%)		Women n (%)		p-value*
	Correct^a	Incorrect/Do Not Know	Correct^a	Incorrect/Do Not Know	Correct^a	Incorrect/Do Not Know
Do you think that breast cancer is widely spread in Saudi Arabia?	29,205 (72)	11,446 (28)	6031 (62)	3646 (38)	23,174 (75)	7800 (25)	<0.001
Do you think that breast cancer is associated with death?	21,971 (54)	18,651 (46)	5404 (56)	4273 (44)	16,567 (54)	14,378 (46)	<0.001
Can breast cancer be inherited?	20,458 (50)	20,166 (50)	3980 (41)	5698 (59)	16,478 (53)	14,468 (47)	<0.001
Can early detection of breast cancer improve the outcome of treatment?	37,046 (91)	3545 (9)	8178 (85)	1495 (15)	28,868 (93)	2050 (7)	<0.001
Do you think a mass or swelling in the breast or the armpit is related to breast cancer?	32,759 (81)	7790 (19)	6447 (67)	3206 (33)	26,312 (85)	4584 (15)	<0.001

Notes:^aThe correct answer is the “yes” response category. *The p-value of differences between men and women.

Table 3 Participants’ Responses to Questions About Breast Cancer Risk Factors

What is the effect of the following on the possibility of a woman developing breast cancer?	Total n (%)		Men n (%)		Women n (%)		p-value*
	Correct^a	Incorrect/Do Not Know	Correct^a	Incorrect/Do Not Know	Correct^a	Incorrect/Do Not Know
Aging	24,313 (60)	16,106 (40)	5647 (59)	3982 (41)	18,666 (61)	12,124 (39)	<0.001
First delivery above age 30 years	13,314 (33)	26,895 (67)	3307 (35)	6274 (65)	10,007 (33)	20,621 (67)	<0.001
Smoking	29,142 (72)	11,234 (28)	6619 (69)	2998 (31)	22,523 (73)	8236 (27)	<0.001
Obesity	20,782 (52)	19,366 (48)	5169 (54)	4424 (46)	15,613 (51)	14,942 (49)	<0.001
Contraceptives use	19,276 (48)	20,773 (52)	4320 (45)	5208 (55)	14,956 (49)	15,565 (51)	<0.001
Family history of breast cancer	26,293 (65)	13,936 (35)	5326 (56)	4262 (44)	20,967 (68)	9674 (32)	<0.001
Puberty below 11 years	7,040 (18)	33,084 (82)	1743 (18)	7801 (82)	5297 (17)	25,283 (83)	0.035
Breast feeding	22,895 (57)	17,342 (43)	4507 (47)	5043 (53)	18,388 (60)	12,299 (40)	<0.001
Large breast size	17,185 (43)	23,079 (57)	3103 (32)	6488 (68)	14,082 (46)	16,591 (54)	<0.001
Menopause after age 55	13,921 (34)	26,455 (66)	3077 (32)	6537 (68)	10,844 (35)	19,918 (65)	<0.001

Notes:^aThe correct answer is the “increase” response category. The exceptions are breastfeeding and large breast size, where “decrease” and “no effect” are the correct response categories, respectively. *The p-value of differences between men and women

Table 4 Predictors of Breast Cancer Knowledge Among Men and Women

Variables	Men				Women
	Low Knowledge n=5533	High Knowledge n=4086	Univariate OR (95%CI)	Multivariate OR (95%CI)	Low Knowledge n=13,222	High Knowledge n=17,477	Univariate OR (95%CI)	Multivariate OR (95%CI)
Total
Age
<20	1291	615	1.00	1.00	4353	5222	1.00	1.00
21–30	2130	1700	1.7 (1.5–1.9)	1.5 (1.3–1.7)	5120	7164	1.2 (1.1–1.2)	1.1 (1.0–1.2)
31–40	1282	1057	1.7 (1.5–2.0)	1.5 (1.3–1.9)	2382	3247	1.1 (1.1–1.2)	1.0 (0.9–1.2)
40+	822	705	1.8 (1.6–2.1)	1.4 (1.1–1.8)	1298	1789	1.1 (1.1–1.2)	1.0 (0.9–1.2)
Number of children
No children	3045	2100	1.00	1.00	8,126	10,937	1.00	1.00
≥1 child	2440	1933	1.1 (1.1–1.2)	1.0 (0.8–1.1)	4938	6384	1.0 (0.9–1.0)	0.9 (0.8–1.0)
Marital status
Married	2566	2100	1.00	1.00	5256	5256	1.00	1.00
Single	2631	1806	0.8 (0.8–0.9)	1.0 (0.8–1.2)	7184	9644	1.0 (1.0–1.1)	1.1 (1.0–1.2)
Widowed/divorced	313	169	0.7 (0.5–0.8)	0.7 (0.5–0.9)	713	858	0.9 (0.8–1.0)	0.9 (0.8–1.0)
Occupation
Unemployed	2185	1512	1.00	1.00	9641	12,055	1.00	1.00
Employed	3089	2381	1.1 (1.0–1.2)	0.8 (0.7–0.9)	3,269	4974	1.2 (1.2–1.3)	1.2 (1.1–1.3)
Retired	191	155	1.2 (0.9–1.5)	0.9 (0.6–1.2)	220	319	1.2 (1.0–1.4)	1.0 (0.8–1.2)
Education
<High school	588	194	1.00	1.00	1326	1151	1.00	1.00
High school/Diploma	2471	1440	1.8 (1.5–2.1)	1.6 (1.3–1.9)	5205	6303	1.4 (1.3–1.5)	1.3 (1.1–1.4)
University	2047	1911	2.8 (2.4–3.4)	2.2 (1.7–2.7)	6012	8910	1.7 (1.6–1.9)	1.4 (1.3–1.5)
Postgraduate	395	521	4.0 (3.2–4.9)	3.0 (2.3–3.8)	618	1047	2.0 (1.7–2.2)	1.4 (1.2–1.6)
Family income (SAR/month)
<8000	1708	997	1.00	1.00	4488	4634	1.00	1.00
9000–15,000	2096	1505	1.2 (1.1–1.4)	1.1 (1.0–1.2)	4893	6680	1.3 (1.3–1.4)	1.3 (1.2–1.3)
16,000–25,000	1091	949	1.5 (1.3–1.7)	1.4 (1.2–1.6)	2221	3673	1.6 (1.5–1.7)	1.5 (1.4–1.6)
>26,000	540	585	1.9 (1.6–2.1)	1.5 (1.3–1.8)	1105	1882	1.6 (1.5–1.8)	1.5 (1.4–1.7)
Family history of breast cancer
Yes	656	856	1.00	1.00	1762	3828	1.00	1.00
No	3892	2781	0.5 (0.5–0.6)	0.5 (0.5–0.6)	9882	11,945	0.6 (0.5–0.6)	0.6 (0.5–0.6)

Table 5 Participants’ Perceptions About Breast Cancer Awareness and Campaigns in Saudi Arabia

Variable	Total n (%)	Men n (%)	Women n (%)	p-value*
Do you think there are enough breast cancer awareness campaigns in Saudi Arabia?
No	13,594 (34)	4393 (46)	9201 (30)	<0.001
Yes	20,818 (52)	3581 (37)	17,237 (56)
Do not know	5961 (15)	1669 (17)	4292 (14)
How do you evaluate awareness of breast cancer in our society?
Excellent	6613 (16)	1143 (12)	5470 (18)
Average	22,993 (57)	4408 (46)	18,585 (60)	<0.001
Weak	10,770 (27)	4088 (42)	6682 (22)
Are you aware of breast cancer screening programs in Saudi Arabia?
No	17,850 (44)	4672 (48)	13,178 (43)
Yes	9281 (23)	1833 (19)	7448 (24)	<0.001
Do not know	13,232 (33)	3135 (33)	10,097 (33)

Note: *The p-value of differences between men and women.