Abstract
Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. Breast cancer screening programs are widely promoted because of their effectiveness in the early detection of cancer. However, a significant proportion of eligible Catholic nuns in the Lake Zone of Tanzania remain underscreened. This study is aimed at investigating the factors associated with breast cancer screening uptake among Catholic nuns in Lake Zone, Tanzania. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study design among 385 catholic nuns. Simple random sampling was deployed to enrolled catholic nuns, the ODK collect v2023.2.4 was electronically used to collect data. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the factors associated with the uptake of breast cancer screening. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 18.0, with a significance level set at a p value less than 0.05. Result: The prevalence uptake of breast cancer screening (i.e., breast self-examination, clinical examination, or mammography examination) was 64% (n = 247, 95% CI, 59.3%-68.9%). A total of 57.4% had inadequate knowledge on the uptake of breast cancer screening (n = 221, 95% CI, 52.4%-62.4%). Also, the study found that 61.3% (95% CI, 56.4%-66.2%) of Catholic Nuns have negative attitudes towards the uptake of self-breast examination among Catholic nuns. The findings revealed that 55.6% (n = 133, 95% CI, 50.6%-60.6%) and 52.7% (n = 52.7%, 95% CI, 47.7%-57.7%) of Catholic nuns negatively accept breast cancer screening and self-breast examination, respectively. Nuns aged above 60 years were less likely to not perform BCS with a COR of 0.62 (95% CI, 0.39-0.97). Also, Catholic nuns who are in the nonhealth field are more likely to not perform BCS with a COR of 1.71 (95%, 1.07-2.74). Likewise, Catholic nuns who had negative acceptability of the Self-breast examination were more likely to not perform BCS with an AOR of 1.65 (95% CI, 1.07-2.55). Conclusion: A study found a low uptake of breast cancer screening among Catholic nuns. This highlights the need for breast health intervention programs within religious congregations to address misconceptions and promote early detection.