Faisal Azaiza
University of Haifa School of Social Work, Israel
Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Cancer Sci Ther
The incidence of breast cancer is considerably lower among Arab women than among both Jewish Israeli women and women in Western countries. Still, the incidence has risen significantly in recent years. Survival rates from breast cancer are also notably lower among Arab women (63%, compared with 71% among Jewish women); this is attributed to diagnosis of the illness at a later stage. Factors found to lower the use of screenings by Arab women include lower socio-economic status and barriers of accessibility and language. Arab women in Israel have, however, experienced major modernization processes in recent years. As a result, these women express a combination of traditional beliefs and modern biomedical knowledge concerning risk and preventive factors related to cancer. This introduces greater complexity into the understanding of perceptions and beliefs regarding health and illness and their effect on early detection screening. Overall, Arab women report higher fatalistic perceptions, more traditional beliefs and higher social, environmental and personal barriers to screening. Fears of stigma related to breast or gynecological examinations, worries about the spouse�¢����s reaction once a lump is detected and worries regarding the violation of religious and cultural requirements of modesty are often also expressed. However, study findings stress a duality in participants�¢���� cancer coping experience according to the traditional cultural norms of concealment while simultaneously encountering more open western attitudes through interactions with healthcare. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the unique implications of cancer in the context of the traditional Arab culture intertwined with modernization processes.
Email: azaiza@univ.haifa.ac.il
Cancer Science & Therapy received 3968 citations as per Google Scholar report
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