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Table 1 Health Belief items

From: A national cross-sectional study of adherence to timely mammography use in Malta

 

ADHERENT versus NON-ADHERENT

Health Beliefs

χ2

p-value

There is no possibility of getting breast cancer (r)

5.5

0.239

Your chances of getting breast cancer are high

0.3

0.960

There may be the possibility of developing breast cancer in your lifetime

7.8

0.055

When you get a mammogram, you feel good about yourself

5.9

0.115

When you get a mammogram, you do not worry as much about breast cancer

3.6

0.302

Having a mammogram will help you find lumps early in your breasts

0.9

0.819

If you find a lump through a mammogram, the treatment for breast cancer may not be as bad

0.7

0.863

Having a mammogram will decrease your chances of dying from breast cancer

1.2

0.744

Having a mammogram will help you find a lump before it can be felt by yourself or a health professional

1.5

0.676

Having a routine mammogram would make you anxious about breast cancer

8.3

0.040*

Having a routine mammogram would make you worry

3.2

0.522

You fear having a mammogram because you might find out that something is wrong

5.3

0.257

You fear having a mammogram because you do not know the procedure or what to expect

2.8

0.418

You fear having a mammogram because you know someone (family or friend) with breast cancer

7.0

0.136

It is embarrassing for you to have a mammogram

6.0

0.055

Undergoing mammography will be painful or uncomfortable

3.8

0.284

Having a mammogram is time consuming

2.7

0.258

You are discontent with Breast Screening personnel as they have been rude to you

n/a

n/a

You have fear or distrust in the medical team

13.9

0.003*

Having a mammogram would expose you to unnecessary radiation

4.7

0.197

You have too many other problems in your life than to get a mammogram done

14.9

0.001*

You are not old enough to have a mammogram periodically

0.4

0.823

If your GP advises you to attend for a mammogram, you will attend

8.4

0.038*

If your relatives or friends advise you to attend for a mammogram, you will attend

1.3

0.741

If someone close to you has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you will attend for a mammogram

3.2

0.362

Hearing about breast cancer and breast screening in the media or news makes you think about getting a mammogram

8.9

0.030*

Reminder letters would help you to get a mammogram

20.9

0.000*

Reminder phone calls or text messages would help you to get a mammogram

20.9

0.000*

Routine educational talks regarding breast cancer awareness would help you to get a mammogram

6.7

0.820

You feel confident that if you had a mammogram done, any abnormalities in your breasts will be detected

4.7

0.318

You can arrange other things in your life to get a mammogram

1.5

0.821

In case you need a mammogram, you will find a place to get it done

1.8

0.752

You can make an appointment for a mammogram

1.7

0.800

You can arrange transportation to get a mammogram

1.6

0.812

You can talk to people at the breast screening centre about your concerns

n/a

n/a

You can find a way to pay for a mammogram if you need to

2.3

0.511

  1. (r) = reverse scored
  2. *Significant at α = 0.05
  3. Chi-square test was applied for all health beliefs; hence the categorical answers were used to apply this test for association. For each question, respondents were asked to select a number between 1 and 5, where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree. For certain items, responses were re-grouped to ensure the feasibility of the Chi-square test