The aim of this research was to verify the effectiveness of a Health Belief Model-based intervention in increasing knowledge and changing beliefs about breast cancer and its early detection as well as in improving breast self-examination behaviors. This randomized controlled clinical trial involved 210 women. The program was implemented by email and involved sending daily messages to participants for 30 days. The women in the intervention group received messages aimed at increasing the practice of breast self-examination behavior. Participants in the control group received messages promoting general health. Before and after the intervention there were evaluated the application of breast self-examination, level of knowledge, beliefs associated with health (susceptibility to develop breast cancer, disease severity, benefits of self-examination, barriers to achieving this behavior, cues to action, self-efficacy in performing self-examination). At the end of the program, a significant improvement in the perception of disease severity and the benefits of breast self-examination was obtained, as well as a significant increase in the percentage of participants who achieved this behavior. The results obtained are arguments for it to be implemented by health care providers who want to promote self-examination as a method of early detection of breast cancer.
Keywords: Beliefs; Breast cancer prevention; Breast self-examination; Health Belief Model; Intervention.
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