This observational study aims to evaluate the current status of breast self-examination (BSE) practices and related influencing factors among middle-aged and older women in urban communities, using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as the theoretical framework. The HBM is a well-established public health model for understanding preventive health behaviors, focusing on perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, cues to action, and self-efficacy.
The study will recruit community-dwelling women above approximately 40 years of age who have adequate cognitive and communication abilities. Data collection will be conducted through structured questionnaires administered during community health education activities. The survey will collect demographic information (e.g., age, occupation, education level, family history of breast cancer) and BSE-related variables, including awareness of breast cancer, perceived benefits and barriers to screening, knowledge of BSE methods, and sources of health information.
The primary outcome is the prevalence of regular BSE practices among participants. Secondary outcomes include factors associated with regular BSE performance, such as age group, occupation type, education level, family history, and knowledge of BSE techniques. Logistic regression will be used to identify independent predictors of regular BSE practices.
Findings from this study will help identify key gaps between awareness and practice, guide targeted community-based health education, and provide evidence for developing accessible, culturally appropriate breast cancer screening strategies in China. Ultimately, the results are expected to improve early detection rates and reduce the proportion of locally advanced breast cancer cases.