Jordanian and Palestinian Immigrant Women's Knowledge, Affect, Cultural Attitudes, Health Habits, and Participation in Breast Cancer Screening

Abstract

Our purpose in this report is to describe relationships among knowledge, affect, attitudes, including cultural beliefs, about breast cancer screening (BCS), and health habits to BCS participation in a convenience sample of 130 immigrant women with Jordanian or Palestinian background living in the Washington DC area. Using our analysis of questionnaires we show correlations among knowledge, affect, utility, general health habits, and participation in BCS consistent with previous research in non-Arab samples. Measures of the relationship of cultural factors to BCS participation need refinement. Future research related to BCS among Jordanian and Palestinian women can build on the results of this study.

The author thanks Dr. Madeline Schmitt, Dr. Jeanne Grace, and Dr. Ayala Emmett for their expertise and support during the research and Dr. Schmitt for her helpful advice during manuscript preparation.

Funding for various parts of this project was provided by The Arabic Church of Washington DC; University of Rochester Susan B. Anthony Institute; Thrifty Car Rental; Enterprise-Rent-A-Car Foundation; National Arab American Medical Association; Transcultural Nursing Society; the Jill Thayer Dissertation Award and the Jim and Junko Mills Fund, University of Rochester, School of Nursing; WAL∗MART; The Arabic Church of Houston; Sigma Theta Tau Epsilon Xi Chapter; and Western New York League for Nursing.

Notes

∗p <.05

∗∗p <.01. Triad includes (BSE, CBE, and mammogram).