Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is an important public health problem because of its frequent occurence and fatal consequences. Early diagnosis of breast cancer increases the treatment success and survival. For the early diagnosis of breast cancer, women's screening beliefs and attitudes need to be determined. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Scale to determine patients' beliefs and attitudes regarding breast cancer screening. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This methodological study was carried out with 261 women. A survey form and the Turkish version of the Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Scale were used in the data collection. Coverage validity was determined by the coverage validity index, and the Davis technique, item-total score correlations, Cronbach alpha evaluation, factor analysis, and AMOS analysis were used. RESULTS: The factor structure of the 13-item Turkish version of the Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Scale was examined. After the factor analysis, a threefactor structure emerged which accounted for 70% of the total variance and has an eigenvalue of over 1.00. In the internal consistency analyses of the scale, item-total score correlation values ranged from 0.37 to 0.90, and no items were extracted from the scale. CONCLUSION: The Turkish version of the Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Scale was found to be a valid and reliable measurement tool in determining the screening beliefs and attitudes of women.