Occupational Medicine & Health Affairs
Open Access

Abstract

Teachers in Saudi Arabia represent one of the largest occupational groups among the employed women. According to the World Health Organization each year over 1.4 million women worldwide are diagnosed with breast cancer. In the present study we explored the relation between health promotion lifestyle and female�s cancer screening practice. A total of 374 female teachers mean aged 32.7+9.2 completed the study survey, which includes the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) scale, demographic data and breast cancer screening behavior. Only 28.6% of the teachers know how they do the breast self examination (BSE) and do it monthly, 71.4% don�t know how they do BSE. Obesity and overweight were more prevalent among teachers who do not do BSE (27.6%-36.2%: respectively) than BSE group. The mean total HPLP were statistically different between groups (P=0.041) and for HPLP subscales, health responsibility, nutrition, and stress management (p<0.05), no significant differences were observed for physical activity, spiritual growth, and interpersonal relations. A significant correlation was established between the BSE and the overall Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile (r-0.16, p<.05) and the nutrition subscale (r=0.18, p<.05). This study demonstrated correlation between health promoting lifestyle and breast cancer screening behavior in occupational group, making an important contribution to understanding the factors influencing female�s health behavior.

Biography

Hala Hazam Al-Otaibi received her PhD at University Putra Malaysia Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. She is an Assistant Professor in community nutrition at the College of Agriculture and Food Science. She is also a member of the Saudi Society for Food and Nutrition, and American Society for Nutrition, and her research interests are: nutrition education, chronic disease prevention, and obesity.

Email: halaalotaibi5m@gmail.com