Exploring awareness, practices and barriers to breast cancer screening among females in Rawalpindi and Islamabad: a cross-sectional study

Breast cancer is a worldwide health problem and is highly prevalent in Pakistan, with one in every nine females. Because of the alarming rate, this study aims to explore the knowledge, barriers, and breast self-examination (BSE) practices among females in Pakistan. A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed from December 2023 to April 2024, consisting of 600 females. Data was gathered face-to-face and online through a questionnaire covering demographics, information sources, knowledge, practices, and barriers to breast cancer screening. The chi-square test and logistic regression were applied using SPSS. Of all 600 participants, 74% (444) were aged 18–30 years, 35.7% (214) were married, and 50.7% (304) had obtained information about breast cancer online. The practice of BSE was minimal, with 13.5% performing monthly and 8% weekly. Urban residents have significantly greater knowledge compared to rural residents (OR: 0.37, 95% CI: 0.18–0.79, p = 0.010). Language barriers (57%, 342) and fears of unnecessarily occupying the doctor’s time (53%, 318) were common barriers reported by the participants. These barriers were significantly associated with participants aged 31–45 (OR: 8.27, 95% CI: 1.62–42.2, p = 0.011) and those with a monthly income between PKR 15,000–50,000 (OR: 2.22, 95% CI: 1.18–4.16, p = 0.013). The majority of women have awareness about breast cancer; whereas BSE practice was significantly low, and most experienced barriers to screening. Highlight the need for educational intervention to help bridge the gap in knowledge and practice, and to reduce the challenges of breast cancer screening among women.