Effect of educational level on knowledge and use of breast cancer screening practices in Bangladeshi women.

The Breast Health Global Initiative 2007 emphasized education and cultural values for promoting breast cancer screening in developing countries. This cross-sectional study investigated if educational level and cultural beliefs affect breast cancer screening practices in 152 women 40 years or older in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Women with a higher (>12 years) educational level were more likely to know about breast self-examination (BSE; OR(adj), 95%CI = 22, 6.39-76.76), to know about mammograms (6, 2.49-15.70), and to practice BSE (3, 1.27-6.83) compared with those with a lower educational level. Breast cancer screening practices or knowledge was not affected by perceiving barriers to having mammograms.