Cultural beliefs about breast cancer in Vietnamese women

BACKGROUND: This study examined factors influencing cultural beliefs associated with later-stage detection of breast cancer and determined what factors influence those cultural beliefs in Vietnamese women residing in a rural Vietnamese community. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 289 women aged 20–64 years from 12 villages using a self-administered structured questionnaire. Cultural beliefs were measured with a 13-item cultural beliefs scale consisting of four domains—characteristics of breast lumps, self-help techniques, faith-based beliefs, and futility of treatment. Data were collected in February 2017 and analyzed using chi-square tests, nonparametric tests, Fisher’s exact tests, and multiple linear regression analyses with SPSS/WIN 24.0 statistical software. RESULTS: Although the total score was relatively low (3.4 out of 13), cultural beliefs that could contribute to later-stage breast cancer were identified. Younger women (β = .15, p = .016) and women with a lower income (β = .21, p < .001) held more erroneous cultural beliefs as compared to their counterparts. Most women believed they would not get breast cancer if they took care of themselves. More than one-third held cultural beliefs about breast lumps, thinking they would need to be painful and/or actively growing to be breast cancer. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the urgent need for education concerning breast cancer health promotion, including breast cancer assessment as well as guidance on evidence-based and up-to-date detection measures to change rural Vietnamese women’s cultural beliefs. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12905-019-0777-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.