Table 6.
Comparison of Illness Perceptions between attendees and non-attendees
| When you received your invite to the Breast Screening programme, did you attend? | Yes | No | Total | Chi-Square testa | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illness Perception | Mean | SD | Mean | SD | Mean | SD | χ2 | p-value |
| The presence of a lump of thickening in the breast | 3.9 | 0.4 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 5.5 | 0.141 |
| Nipple discharge | 3.9 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 3.9 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 0.286 |
| Sudden nipple retraction | 3.9 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 5.8 | 0.121 |
| Change in shape or appearance of the nipple | 3.9 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 0.630 |
| Breast swelling, dimpling, redness or soreness of the skin | 3.8 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 0.463 |
| Skin changes of the breast | 3.8 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 3.8 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 0.555 |
| A sudden change in breast size | 3.8 | 0.4 | 3.9 | 0.4 | 3.9 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.950 |
| Aching breasts | 3.5 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 3.5 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 0.578 |
| Stress or worry | 3.0 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 3.9 | 0.140 |
| Your mental attitude (e.g. thinking about life negatively) | 2.5 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 6.0 | 0.111 |
| Family problems or worries | 3.0 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 3.5 | 0.178 |
| Overwork | 2.5 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 4.1 | 0.249 |
| Your emotional state (e.g. feeling down, lonely, anxious, empty) | 2.5 | 0.8 | 2.6 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 19.0 | 0.000* |
| Your personality | 2.4 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 6.6 | 0.087 |
| Hereditary - it runs in the family | 4.6 | 0.6 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 4.5 | 0.6 | 13.4 | 0.004* |
| Diet or eating habits | 3.3 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 5.6 | 0.131 |
| Poor medical care in the past | 3.3 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 2.4 | 0.489 |
| Your own behaviour | 2.7 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 10.0 | 0.018* |
| Ageing | 3.1 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 4.9 | 0.087 |
| Smoking | 3.7 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 3.0 | 0.399 |
| Alcohol | 3.5 | 0.8 | 3.4 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.948 |
| A germ or virus | 3.0 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 3.7 | 0.160 |
| Pollution in the environment | 3.7 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 0.8 | 3.6 | 0.8 | 6.1 | 0.108 |
| Altered immunity | 3.6 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 0.683 |
| Chance or bad luck | 3.0 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 5.8 | 0.214 |
| Accident or injury | 3.1 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 0.782 |
| Breast cancer will last a short time | 2.8 | 0.7 | 2.9 | 0.7 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 4.2 | 0.241 |
| Breast cancer is likely to be permanent rather than temporary | 3.3 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 0.8 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 1.5 | 0.481 |
| A patient with breast cancer goes through cycles in which her illness gets better and worse | 3.7 | 0.7 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 3.6 | 0.7 | 11.1 | 0.026* |
| Breast cancer has major consequences on a patient's life | 4.3 | 0.6 | 4.2 | 0.5 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 14.2 | 0.003* |
| Breast cancer will not have much effect on your life | 1.5 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.7 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 11.8 | 0.019* |
| Breast cancer would strongly affect the way others see you | 3.3 | 1.0 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 3.3 | 0.9 | 14.9 | 0.005* |
| Breast cancer has serious economic and financial consequences | 3.9 | 0.6 | 3.7 | 0.7 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 13.3 | 0.004* |
| Breast cancer would strongly affect the way you see yourself as a person | 4.1 | 0.5 | 4.0 | 0.6 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.875 |
| Breast cancer would threaten a relationship with your husband or partner | 3.1 | 0.9 | 3.0 | 0.9 | 3.1 | 0.9 | 2.2 | 0.699 |
| If you had breast cancer, your whole life would change | 4.3 | 0.7 | 4.1 | 0.6 | 4.2 | 0.6 | 18.0 | 0.000* |
| If you developed breast cancer, the chances of living a long life would decrease | 4.0 | 0.5 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 0.4 | 9.4 | 0.024* |
| There is a lot which you can do to control the symptoms if Breast Cancer occurs | 3.9 | 0.4 | 3.9 | 0.4 | 3.9 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 0.629 |
| The course of Breast Cancer will depend on your actions | 4.0 | 0.4 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 0.4 | 5.9 | 0.118 |
| Your actions will have an effect on the outcome of Breast Cancer | 4.0 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 0.2 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 5.9 | 0.118 |
| There is no treatment that will help to improve Breast Cancer | 2.0 | 0.6 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 5.8 | 0.211 |
| The treatment provided will be effective in controlling or curing Breast Cancer | 4.0 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 0.615 |
| The negative effects of Breast Cancer can be prevented or avoided by the treatment given | 4.0 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 3.9 | 0.3 | 5.5 | 0.241 |
| You have a clear picture and understanding of Breast Cancer | 3.8 | 0.6 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 3.8 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.873 |
| Breast Cancer is a mystery to you | 3.2 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 0.455 |
| You get anxious when you think about Breast Cancer | 3.6 | 1.1 | 3.7 | 1.1 | 3.6 | 1.1 | 2.6 | 0.464 |
| Breast Cancer makes you feel afraid | 4.3 | 0.7 | 4.3 | 0.6 | 4.3 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.645 |
| You get worried when you think about Breast Cancer | 4.4 | 0.7 | 4.4 | 0.6 | 4.4 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 0.502 |
*Significant at α=0.05
aChi-square test was applied for all illness perceptions; hence the categorical answers were used to apply this test for association. For each question, respondents were asked to select a number between 1-5, where 1 = strongly disagree and 5 = strongly agree.