Fatalism toward breast cancer among the women of Ghana.

Personal beliefs about health and illness influence many people's decisions about seeking care. This research represents a study of beliefs about breast cancer held by African women in Ghana. In-person interviews based on the revised Powe fatalism inventory (rPFI) were held with 109 women. Correlational analysis and factor analysis were performed. There were negative, nonsignificant associations between fatalism and age (r = -.095, p = 0.33), and educational level (r = -.078, p = .422). Fatalism scores were relatively low, 3.78 on an 11 -point scale. Comparisons are made to responses by African American women in other studies.