The Suitability of the Health Belief Model as an Assessment Framework for Women With Breast Ill-Health

Objectives: Globally, breast cancer is the commonest cancer in women. Empirical literature indicate that it is the second cause of cancer-related mortality in high-resource regions, while it is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths among women in poor-resource regions. This study presents the suitability of the health belief model (HBM) as a framework for carrying out a comprehensive assessment of women with late-stage breast cancer in Nigeria. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study employed interpretive description as its methodological approach, while the HBM was the conceptual framework. Two institutional review boards granted approval to conduct the study. Thirty women with advanced breast cancer were recruited for the study using purposeful sampling techniques. Components of the original HBM were identified to carry out the investigation. Data analysis was inductive. Results: Findings indicated that the participants viewed breast cancer as a definite threat- both as a spiritual attack – an arrow shot by the enemy, and as a killer disease. Many of their perceptions appeared to be culturally based, while others were based on their individual experiences. They perceived some benefits to both traditional and medical treatment options. Conclusions: Interventions that address people’s cultural and individual perceptions enables a comprehensive assessment of the patients with breast cancer, which can improve the treatment outcomes and survival rates of disease.