From: Cultural beliefs about breast cancer in Vietnamese women
Domain | Item | Response n (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
True | False | ||
I. Breast lump characteristics | 1. If a breast lump is not painful, it is not cancer. | 100 (34.6) | 189 (65.4) |
2. If a breast lump does not get bigger, it is not cancer. | 109 (37.7) | 180 (62.3) | |
3. If a breast lump is touched/pressed often, it will turn out to be breast cancer. | 26 (9.0) | 263 (91.1) | |
II. Self-help techniques | 5. The more you worry about breast cancer, the more likely you will get it. | 23 (8.0) | 266 (92.0) |
6. If you take good care of yourself, you won’t get breast cancer. | 181 (62.6) | 108 (37.4) | |
13. If you have a breast lump, a “natural” remedy can help to get rid of it. | 42 (14.5) | 247 (85.5) | |
III. Faith-based beliefs | 7. Faith in God can protect you from breast cancer. | 15 (5.2) | 274 (94.8) |
10. If you pray enough, sometimes breast lumps will disappear. | 4 (1.4) | 285 (98.6) | |
14. If a woman has enough faith in God, she won’t need treatment for breast cancer. | – | 289 (100.0) | |
IV. Futility of treatment | 11. If breast cancer is cut open in surgery, it will grow faster. | 18 (6.2) | 271 (93.8) |
15. If a woman is poor, she will not get cured from cancer because she won’t get the best treatment. | 108 (37.4) | 181 (62.6) | |
*16. If breast cancer is treated correctly, it can be cured. | 264 (91.3) | 25 (8.7) | |
17. It doesn’t really matter if you get treated for breast cancer, because if you get cancer, it will kill you sooner or later. | 90 (31.1) | 199 (68.9) | |
Total mean score | 3.4 | – |