Table 5.
Comparison of Health Beliefs between attendees and non-attendees
| When you received your invite to the Breast Screening programme, did you attend? | Yes | No | Total | Chi-Square testa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health Beliefs | Mean | SD | Mean | SD | Mean | SD | χ2 | p-value |
| There is no possibility of getting breast cancer (r) | 1.9 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 4.3 | 0.367 |
| Your chances of getting breast cancer are high | 3.7 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 7.1 | 0.130 |
| There may be the possibility of developing breast cancer in your lifetime | 4.0 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 0.4 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 0.645 |
| When you get a mammogram, you feel good about yourself | 4.0 | 0.4 | 3.9 | 0.5 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 16.7 | 0.001* |
| When you get a mammogram, you do not worry as much about breast cancer | 3.8 | 0.8 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 3.7 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 0.423 |
| Having a mammogram will help you find lumps early in your breasts | 4.2 | 0.4 | 4.1 | 0.5 | 4.2 | 0.5 | 7.8 | 0.051 |
| If you find a lump through a mammogram, the treatment for breast cancer may not be as bad | 4.0 | 0.4 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 0.4 | 3.3 | 0.349 |
| Having a mammogram will decrease your chances of dying from breast cancer | 4.0 | 0.4 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 6.2 | 0.103 |
| Having a mammogram will help you find a lump before it can be felt by yourself or a health professional | 4.0 | 0.5 | 4.0 | 0.4 | 4.0 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.899 |
| Having a routine mammogram would make you anxious about breast cancer | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 7.1 | 0.070 |
| Having a routine mammogram would make you worry | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 0.416 |
| You fear having a mammogram because you might find out that something is wrong | 2.9 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 12.0 | 0.017* |
| You fear having a mammogram because you do not know the procedure or what to expect | 2.2 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 31.9 | 0.000* |
| You fear having a mammogram because you know someone (family or friend) with breast cancer | 2.6 | 1.1 | 2.9 | 1.1 | 2.7 | 1.1 | 7.1 | 0.132 |
| It is embarrassing for you to have a mammogram | 2.4 | 0.8 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 13.6 | 0.009* |
| Undergoing mammography will be painful or uncomfortable | 3.4 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 1.0 | 39.0 | 0.000* |
| Having a mammogram is time consuming | 1.2 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 0.6 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 7.2 | 0.067 |
| You are discontent with Breast Screening personnel as they have been rude to you | 1.2 | 0.5 | n/a | n/a | 1.2 | 0.5 | n/a | n/a |
| You have fear or distrust in the medical team | 1.7 | 0.7 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 38.3 | 0.000* |
| Having a mammogram would expose you to unnecessary radiation | 2.2 | 0.6 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 0.7 | 16.6 | 0.001* |
| You have too many other problems in your life than to get a mammogram done | 1.6 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 38.8 | 0.000* |
| You are not old enough to have a mammogram periodically | 1.7 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 0.4 | 1.8 | 0.5 | 22.6 | 0.000* |
| If your GP advises you to attend for a mammogram, you will attend | 4.3 | 0.6 | 4.0 | 0.7 | 4.2 | 0.7 | 13.6 | 0.004* |
| If your relatives or friends advise you to attend for a mammogram, you will attend | 3.4 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 3.4 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 0.576 |
| If someone close to you has been diagnosed with breast cancer, you will attend for a mammogram | 4.2 | 1.0 | 3.9 | 1.0 | 4.1 | 1.0 | 13.8 | 0.008* |
| Hearing about breast cancer and breast screening in the media or news makes you think about getting a mammogram | 3.8 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 15.7 | 0.000* |
| Reminder letters would help you to get a mammogram | 4.0 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 0.7 | 3.9 | 0.5 | 15.4 | 0.001* |
| Reminder phone calls or text messages would help you to get a mammogram | 4.0 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 0.7 | 3.9 | 0.5 | 15.4 | 0.001* |
| Routine educational talks regarding breast cancer awareness would help you to get a mammogram | 3.8 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 16.9 | 0.001* |
| You feel confident that if you had a mammogram done, any abnormalities in your breasts will be detected | 3.7 | 0.6 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 0.6 | 2.2 | 0.697 |
| You can arrange other things in your life to get a mammogram | 4.2 | 0.6 | 4.0 | 0.7 | 4.1 | 0.7 | 13.1 | 0.011* |
| In case you need a mammogram, you will find a place to get it done | 4.2 | 0.5 | 4.1 | 0.5 | 4.2 | 0.5 | 10.9 | 0.028* |
| You can make an appointment for a mammogram | 4.2 | 0.5 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 4.2 | 0.5 | 12.1 | 0.016* |
| You can arrange transportation to get a mammogram | 4.2 | 0.5 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 13.1 | 0.011* |
| You can talk to people at the breast screening centre about your concerns | 4.1 | 0.7 | n/a | n/a | 4.1 | 0.7 | n/a | n/a |
| You can find a way to pay for a mammogram if you need to | 4.2 | 0.5 | 4.1 | 0.5 | 4.2 | 0.5 | 10.3 | 0.036* |
*Significant at α = 0.05
(r) = reverse scored
aChi-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.