Background: Korean immigrant women have been consistently reported as having low participation in breast cancer screening practices. A valid and reliable instrument to explore factors that affect their cancer screening behaviors is essential.
Objective: The aim of this study was to report the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Breast Cancer Screening Beliefs Questionnaire (BCSBQ).
Methods: A convenience sample of 249 Korean Australian women was recruited through a number of Korean community organizations in Sydney.
Results: Exploratory factor analysis supports a similar fit for the original 3-factor structure of our data set. A significant association was found between the attitudes of these women toward general health checkups and the frequency of their performance of the breast awareness practices and having mammograms. Furthermore, it was found that knowledge and perceptions about the breast cancer scales were significantly associated with education level and that barriers to mammographic screening were much less evident among women who engaged in the 3 screening practices. The results indicated that the Korean version of the BCSBQ had satisfactory validity and internal consistency. The Cronbach's α of the 3 subscales ranged between .80 and .88.
Conclusion: The Korean version of the BCSBQ was confirmed to be a culturally appropriate, valid, and reliable instrument for assessing the beliefs, knowledge, and attitudes to breast cancer and breast cancer screening practices among women of Korean background living in Australia.
Implication for practice: The Korean version of the BCBSQ can provide nurses with insights into the development of culturally sensitive breast health education programs.