Abstract
The purpose of this study was to identify the influencing factors on the compliance of breast self-examination (BSE) among 205 Christian women living in Pusan and U1san areas. Structured self-administered questionnaires were used. Knowledge levels were measured by the instrument developed by Choi(l996). Self- efficacy and health belief were measured by the instruments developed by Champion (1993) and modified by Choi(1996). Women who did BSE more than once within 6 months were categorised as compliant. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics, t- test, χ² test and logistic regression analysis using SPSS WIN program. The results of this study were summarized as follows； 1. 15.1％ of women performed the BSE at least once during the last 6 months. 2. Non-complier and compliant women showed statistically significant differences in the level of self efficacy and barriers. 3. Predictors of BSE compliance were ‘history of having breast disease’, ‘experience of receiving recommendation for BSE’, ‘barriers’, and ‘experience of meeting with breast cancer patients’ and explained 14.8％ of variance in compliance of BSE. For future clinical practice, health professionals, including nurses, need to actively suggest to women the importance of BSE, and to distribute the information through posters and pamphlets at clinics and public health centers. Including the opportunity to meet patients in health education centers can be another strategy to increase women's motivation for BSE. For future research, it is necessary to recruit women from broader geographic areas utilizing various sources such as community centers to increase generalizability of the findings.
