Reasons for Low Uptake of Breast Screening Amongst the Different Cultures in the United Kingdom - Dissertation Example

Breast cancer is one of the major health issues being faced by women all over the world. Based on statistics, there are about 1.1 million women diagnosed with this disease and these cases count for about 10% of new cancer cases per year (Parkin, et.al., 2005). About 1.6% of female deaths per year are attributed to breast cancer (Parkin, et.al., 2005). It is a major public health issue in high-resource regions and seems to be becoming a major problem in low-resource areas as well with prevalence rates increasing by about 5% each year (Parkin, et.al., 2005). Early detection has been highlighted and identified as one of the better ways by which this disease can be managed. Breast cancer screening has also been tapped as one of the ways by which breast cancer can be detected and managed early. However, the uptake of early screening has been limited by various considerations, including cultural, social, and ethnic considerations. With the decreased uptake for minority ethnic populations, the general health outcomes for the management of breast cancer have been affected.

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Rationale/Relevance of the study
There are various screening strategies that are being currently advocated in the health practice. One of these strategies includes the self-breast examination which is carried out by the woman herself, usually monthly, days or about a week after the end of the menstrual cycle (Robb, et.al., 2010). Annual mammography for women has also been advocated as one of the strategies in the early detection of breast cancer (Robb, et.al., 2010). In most countries, these methods have been advocated as possible measures in the early detection of breast cancer. Prevention of metastases and growth of masses, whether benign or malignant, is the ultimate goal of early screening processes. Despite early screening measures, the uptake of these screening practices remains low, especially for minority ethnic populations (Sassi, et.al., 2006). Culture is one of the factors which is said to have an effect on breast screening practices in the UK, especially with some cultures not prescribing to its practice due to ethnic considerations. This shall be followed by a brief background on the types of screening currently being applied in the UK. Thirdly, a discussion on the results, including an analysis of the same shall be presented next. The studies will also be compared and contrasted, with their trends and patterns in results established. Finally, a summary of the studies, including the results and discussion shall conclude the dissertation.

Laws covering breast screening
Laws applicable to breast screening include the NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHSBSP, 2012). This program was launched in 1988 covering single view mammography, calling in all women aged 50 to 64 years of age to undergo screening every three years. This program was successful in assisting in breast cancer detection and by 2005, it was already applying a two-view mammography screening of 1.3 million women from 50-70 years annually, with about 75% of these individuals invited to undergo screening (NHSBSP, 2012). At present, this screening diagnoses an average of 10,000 breast cancers each year.