Title : Factors that influenced health literacy in women diagnosed with breast cancer in Kenya: A qualitative exploration using a journey model
Abstract:
Breast cancer (BC) is a major cause of death worldwide. In Kenya, the annual number of new cases is approximately 6,000, with 2550 deaths. Approximately 80 % of patients are diagnosed at advanced stages (III–IV), contributing to the high death rate. Research has shown that BC can be cured when discovered early; however, this involves providing quality health information to improve awareness. This concept is known as health literacy, defined as the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, communicate, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions. Increasing health literacy is a low resource intervention and is an important link in increasing positive health behavior. This study, guided by the Socio-Ecological Model, adopted a qualitative longitudinal approach to explore the experiences and factors that influenced health literacy for women with breast cancer presenting at a public and private tertiary hospitals in an urban area of Kenya. Data was collected longitudinally through semi-structured face to face interviews from a purposive sample of 11 women and thematically analyzed using Collaizi’s technique. The data analysis generated two main themes: Information experiences of BC patients, and Socio-ecological factors that influenced health literacy. The interaction between different socio-ecological factors (e.g. social capital, financial challenges, and beliefs) was evident in this research. The results can be used to determine effective ways of communicating BC related health information, and to improve healthcare education, practice, policy, and inform future research.
