Environmental Factors Influencing Arab Qatari Women’s Breast Cancer Screening: Health Care Practitioners’ Perspective

Abstract

Breast cancer, the most common cancer among Arab women in Qatar, significantly affects the morbidity and mortality of Arab women largely because of delayed diagnosis related to low participation rates in breast cancer screening (BCS). To understand the reasons for the low participation rates, a critical ethnographic study was conducted with 15 health care practitioners in Qatar. Thematic analysis of the interview data resulted in identification of environmental factors influencing participation in BCS: (a) gender friendly health care services, (b) lack of a national BCS protocol, (c) time constraints, (d) deficiencies in the patient health records system, (e) cost for mammograms, and (f) transportation. A recurring theme across the factors was that, from the perspective of health care practitioners, Arab women’s health cannot be understood in isolation from the environment in which they live. Interventions that promote BCS practices must address the contextual factors that impact health of the population.