SOCIAL SUPPORT AND BREAST SELF-EXAMINATION

Declining practice of breast self-examination (BSE) among women over t he age of 55 years dramatically decreases the probability of early det ection of breast cancer About two-thirds of women who die of breast ca ncer are over the age of 55 years. Social support has been found to be associated with health behaviors. Although a woman's health may benef it from supportive relationships, the effect of diminished social netw orks on practices of BSE among older women has not been examined. Thus , the purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between social support and the frequency and accuracy of BSE practice. The sam ple consisted of 22 women, 55 years of age and older who were having r outine examinations at a small Midwestern gynecologic clinic. Social s upport was assessed by the Norbeck Social Support Questionnaire, and t wo tools assessed the accuracy and frequency of BSE. Social support wa s found to be significantly related to the frequency of BSE (r = 0.45, p < 0.05), but not to the accuracy of BSE (r = 0.28). The results als o indicated that these women had lower social support scores compared with younger women. Planners of nursing intervention for BSE should co nsider healthcare providers as important resources in social support n etworks for the reinforcement of frequency and accuracy of BSE for old er women.