This study aims to implement two interventions to determine the most effective one that can improve Ghanaian women's decision to get their breasts examined by a healthcare professional. The two interventions are (1) a system where community health nurses will be leveraged to educate women on breast cancer screening; (2) a system where women will be sent text messages about breast cancer screening. Both interventions will be carried out over five months. A survey will be conducted before the intervention is introduced. Then, after the sixth month, another survey will be implemented to determine whether there have been changes. Only women who are 25 years or older will be included in the study.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
joshua.okyere@hud.ac.uk
Participants assigned to this arm will receive a structured community health nurse (CHN)-led breast cancer screening education programme delivered over five months. Trained CHNs will facilitate ten biweekly 60 minute interactive sessions, with each month focusing on a specific theme: understanding breast cancer and screening, risk factors, signs and symptoms, costs and benefits of screening, and building confidence and intention to undergo screening. CHNs will receive standardized training on the study protocol, educational content, and facilitation methods to ensure intervention fidelity. Sessions will incorporate group discussions and culturally appropriate take-home pamphlets to enhance engagement. Attendance will be monitored, post-session reflections conducted, and follow-up phone calls made to participants who miss sessions. Five CHNs will each facilitate five groups of eleven participants.
Participants assigned to this arm will receive a structured breast cancer screening text messaging programme over five months. Messages will be delivered twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. The intervention will cover the same monthly themes as the CHN-led arm to ensure consistency: understanding breast cancer and screening, risk factors, signs and symptoms, costs and benefits of screening, and building confidence and intention to undergo screening. Message content will be evidence-informed and culturally appropriate, drawing on established breast cancer education materials and previous intervention studies. The timing and frequency of message delivery are based on evidence indicating that twice-weekly messaging within these hours enhances participant engagement and message uptake
Participants assigned to the control arm will receive the standard community-based healthcare routinely provided through existing primary healthcare services, with no additional breast cancer screening intervention. Standard care consists of general health education delivered by community health workers and focuses on topics such as environmental hygiene, healthy eating, physical activity, family planning, reproductive health, and the importance of seeking timely healthcare. No structured breast cancer education or text messaging will be provided during the study period. This group will serve as the comparator for evaluating the effectiveness of the CHN-led and text messaging interventions.
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