Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Australian Women's Perceptions Of Breast Cancer Risk Factors And The Risk Of Developing Breast Cancer, Sandra C. Jones, Christopher A. Magee, Lance R. Barrie, Donald C. Iverson, Parri Gregory, Emma L. Hanks, Anne E. Nelson, Caroline L. Nehill, Helen M. Zorbas

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Background Numerous studies have shown that the majority of women overestimate both their own risk and the populations’ risk of developing breast cancer. A number of factors have been found to correlate with perceived risk. Methods This paper reports on a telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of approximately 3,000 Australian women aged 30 to 69 years, conducted in 2007, and compares the findings with those of a similar survey conducted in 2003. Results There was a clear tendency for respondents to overestimate the proportion of women who will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. Approximately half the respondents …