Development of a questionnaire to measure beliefs and attitudes about breast self-examination

Breast self-examination (BSE) is recommended for breast cancer screening, but most women do not perform BSE regularly. Greater accuracy of measures of beliefs and attitudes about BSE is essential to clarify the relationships between these variables and the frequency of BSE performance. The purpose of this research was to assess the reliability and validity of selected measures of beliefs and attitudes about BSE. Sixty-four women attending health programs in community settings responded to a questionnaire about selected beliefs, attitudes, and frequency of BSE. Internally consistent scales were derived (Cronbach alpha coefficients = 0.65–0.89) for remembering, competence, comfort, interference, and efficacy related to BSE. Moderate to strong and significant relationships were observed (Spearman rank correlation coefficients = 0.35–0.58; p < 0.01) between some of these scales and frequency of BSE. From this study, a set of reliable scales of selected beliefs and attitudes about BSE with support for content and criterion-related validity are offered. Directions for future research to increase the understanding of BSE performance and to guide effective nursing interventions to promote BSE performance are identified.