Educational Intervention on Breast Self-Examination Behavior in Women Referred to Health Centers: Application of Health Belief Model

INTRODUCTION AND AIMS: Screening can play a major role in reducing deaths associated with cancer. Breast self-examination (BSE) is a cheap, non-complicated and non-invasive method for breast cancer screening. This study aimed to examine the effects of an educational intervention based on the health belief model (HBM) on BSE behavior in women referred to health centers in Fasa, Iran. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 92 women, divided into an experimental and a control group. Data were collected using a validated questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, knowledge, HBM constructs and breast self-examination performance. An educational program was performed in five sessions through group discussion with questions and answers and training videos for participants in the experimental group. Questionnaires were filled before and three months after the intervention in the two groups. Data were analyzed with SPSS-22 software for descriptive and analytical statistics. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that the mean scores for knowledge, HBM constructs and self-examination behavior in the experimental group were elevated compared to the control group after the intervention (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Education based on the HBM is effective in promoting breast self-examination behavior. Thus development and implementation of training programs based on the model are proposed for officers involved in education and health promotion in Iran.