ASSESSING STRUCTURAL FACTORS INFLUENCING HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOUR OF WOMEN DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER AT OCEAN ROAD CANCER INSTITUTE, DAR ES SALAAM, TANZANIA.

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: In Tanzania, breast cancer is the second most common cancer after cervical cancer accounting for 9.9% of all new cancer cases, and is the 4th common cause of death accounting for 7.3% of all cancer deaths. Studies have shown that there is a high awareness of breast cancer but still, women report at health facilities with advanced stages of disease that account for excess mortality. Understanding the health-seeking behaviour of women with breast cancer is fundamental to understanding why this trend happens. Aim of the study: This study aimed to assess structural factors that influenced the health seeking behaviours of women diagnosed with breast cancer at Ocean Road Cancer Institute. Materials and methods: This study employed a descriptive cross-sectional design using a quantitative approach. The study was conducted at Ocean Road Cancer Institute. Simple random sampling was used to recruit 272 participants. A structured Swahili questionnaire was used to collect data from 17 May to 6 June 2024. Data analysis was done by using SPSS Version 27. The chi-square test was used to measure distribution between groups and multivariate analysis was used to determine association between variables. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of participants was 48.18±11.79 years, almost half of them,139(51.1%) and 137 (50.4%), had primary education and lived in rural areas respectively. This study revealed that most of the participants, 220 (80.9%) had poor health seeking behaviour. It was noted that the Lack of breast cancer education, no formal education, and belief in witchcraft were associated with poor health-seeking behaviour (aOR = 2.9, 95% CI: 1.9-7.87, p = 0.003). (aOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.01-14.94, p = 0.05) and (aOR = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.21-0.95, p = 0.04) respectively. Conclusion; Health education on breast cancer, formal education, and cultural beliefs affect health-seeking behaviour. addressing educational disparities, improving healthcare infrastructure, and implementing culturally sensitive interventions are essential to enhance health-seeking behaviours in this population.