A Thesis Presented to

The Faculty of the College of Nursing

Our Lady of Fatima University
Antipolo City

In Partial Fulfillmet of the Requirements for the Degree
Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Cabrales, Jeselle G.
Ibasan, Marie Peachy R.
Palgan, Jomark B.
Suralvo, Daryl C.
Tanay, Jaichelle
Ventura, Kenny Hector C.

Introduction
Breast cancer hits you like a slap on the face.
Your life is forever changed. There will always
fear of the unknown along every step of the
journey. It makes you reevaluate what is
important and turns your focus on becoming
well again. If caught early it is better, you can
possibly get by only with some chemotherapy.
At worst you could lose your life. Anyone can
be at risk of having breast cancer.

Cancer of the breast in women is a major
health burden worldwide. There are about 1.38
million new cases and 458,000 deaths from
breast cancer each year. (International Agency
for Research on Cancer, Globocan, 2008).
There is no single, specific cause of breast
cancer; rather, a combination of hormonal,
genetic, and possibly environmental events
may contribute to its development (Smeltzer &
Bare, 2009). Therefore, early detection of the
disease remains the cornerstone of breast
cancer control.
The majority of deaths (269,000) occur in low
and middle-income countries, where most
women with breast cancer are diagnosed in late
stages due mainly to lack of awareness on early
detection and barriers to health services (World
Health Organization, 2013).
According to Dr. Felycette Lapus of
Philippine Society of Medical Oncology, breast
cancer is now the leading cancer site
overtaking lung cancer for both sexes in the
Philippines (i.e. 15% of all cancers)
(Santos,2012). It is also the number one cause of
cancer morbidity and
mortality among Filipino women
accounting for almost 30% of all
female malignancies. In Asia, the
Philippines are among the countries
with the highest age standardized
incidence rate for breast cancer.
Survival rate for breast cancer in the
Philippines is below 40% compared
to the high survival rates of 80-98%
already achieved in developed
countries (Department of Health,
2010).


Since the breast is often linked with
femininity, attractiveness and
nurturance, breast cancer is dreaded
and feared by most women. Although
the risk of getting or acquiring the
disease is increased with familial
history, it is important to know that
cancer can develop even without a
family history of the disease. Several
factors put us at risk of developing
carcinoma of the breast. These include
age, gender, familial history, health
habits and our lifestyles.

Health habits pertain to the
precautionary measures we
repeatedly or habitually do to
protect, to keep and to maintain our
bodys health state. On the other
hand lifestyle pertains to the way of
life that reflects the attitudes or
values of a person or group.
Health habits and lifestyles
contribute to ones well being. It is
very much evident that our health
practices help us to be free and be
cured from simple diseases.

Among the mentioned risk factors,
health habits and lifestyles are
considered to be the weakest way of
developing the disease. In relation to
the development of breast cancer in
women, these two factors provide a
link to the development of the
disease. It has been said that
carcinoma of the breast can be
brought about by external factors
such as bad lifestyle and poor health
habits.

It is very important that every woman is
aware and knowledgeable enough to know the
root causes of breast cancer. In this manner,
prevention of the disease is likely to happen.
Prevention of breast cancer is more effective if
proper and adequate information is
disseminated. It is also important that at an
early age, women have an idea of the disease
and how it can be cured, or better yet how it
can be prevented.
Women should be properly informed that
breast cancer even at their early age can hit
them and would likely cause death if ignored
even in their most productive years. In this
case, if the disease remained undiagnosed it is
feared that young women would not reach
their ultimate and productive years in life. But
through proper information dissemination,
good health habits and lifestyles, the risk of
developing breast cancer is decreased.
In this study, which is entitled Awareness
on the Risk Factors Contributing to the
Development of Breast Cancer in Young
Women, the following purposes are given: to
study the factors associated with breast cancer;
to study the association between breast cancer
and exposure variables and to identify risk
factors for breast cancer.

This study aimed to assess the
Awareness on the Risk Factors
Contributing to the Development of
Breast Cancer in Young Women. To
further understand the objectives of
this study, the researchers
specifically attempted to answer the
problems presented:
1. What is the demographic profile of the
respondents in terms of?
1.a Age
1.b Civil Status
2. What is the census of the respondents in
terms of:
2.a Familial history of breast cancer
2.b Knowledge on proper breast self
examination
3. What are the different health habits and
lifestyle the respondents put into practice?
4. Is there any relationship between health
habits and lifestyle to the development of
breast cancer?

Hypothesis
There is no significant relationship
of the health habits and lifestyle of
the respondent to the development
of breast cancer.

Significance of the Study
There is much reason why the
researchers conducted the study
regarding the research problem, as
the findings will be important and
valuable to:

Young Women
This study aimed to serve its
purpose in the further dissemination
of information about breast cancer,
the reasons why women get breast
cancer in the absence of familial
history and why there is a continuous
growth of breast cancer incidence rate
among women especially in our
country. In this research the young
women, will be more aware of what
they can do to enhance or modify
their lifestyles to prevent acquiring
breast cancer.

Family
The researchers will be able to create
awareness among family members as to how
dangerous breast cancer if it remains untreated
for long period of time. The knowledge that
researchers will share to the family will spread
by teaching their new generations of their
family. They will have enough knowledge to
prevent the disease and will somehow decrease
the number of incidence of having breast
cancer in all women

Community
This study may explore access to health care
in women by observing the association with
use of health services after health screening.
This study has potential implications for
delivery of Health services, development of
interventions to influence practice, and health
policy. Potential Health care delivery
implications include risk recognition for non-
completion of care, greater efficiency and cost
effectiveness.
Possible health care practice
implications include development of
interventions to remove barriers to
follow- up after health screening and
improve patient outcomes. Studies
with focus upon improvement in
organizational processes to facilitate
access to care have possible
implications for other health
screening programs, community
health centers and health policy.

Nursing Practice
In nursing practice, the data of this
study might be useful to assess the
womens level of education on the risk
factors of developing breast cancer
relating to their lifestyle and health
habits. These socio-demographic
assessments might enable
implementation of strategies that might
not only initiate the adoption of less
risky health practices. They are
considerable resources for enabling and
reinforcing health promoting behaviors.

Department of Health
The health workers may know a lot of
things about breast cancer that are
broader and more extensive than the
thesis definition. But the study would
be very beneficial to the health workers
in a way that they can do necessary
measures such as putting up a seminar
or health updates which can help
educate and inform the concerned
people on the possible effects of health
habits and lifestyles to the progress of
breast cancer.

Nursing Academe
This study will be more useful for
not only for the nursing students but
for the patients who receives
information from the nursing
students by teaching them about the
awareness of breast cancer. The
study may contribute more
information that may help the
society to be aware and to decrease
the risk of having breast cancer in all
women.

As the new study about breast
cancer and for the next generations,
they will have knowledge to
determine of what information
newly discovered to give them
another baseline to create also a new
study about the awareness of the
breast cancer and have their chance
to have a newly discovery about
breast cancer.
Future Researcher
The future researchers would have
additional resources for different thesis topics
that can be stored and retrieved by the nursing
faculty and nursing students. The research
study can guide the users specially the students
on future research work the students will be
having. The research office could then have an
expanded resource that can accommodate the
needs of the students during research through
the addition of this research study.

The general purpose of the study is to arouse
the awareness of the young women of the
community regarding their health habits and
lifestyles that can later on pose a threat to their
health. The researchers focused on the
lifestyles, which include the good and bad
practices they have. The researchers also
include the different health disciplines they
habitually do in their healthy status. The
lifestyle and health habits are part of the risk
factors which can potentiate breast cancer.
The following terms were defined
operationally for better understanding of the
study.
Carcinoma of the breast. Popularly known as
breast cancer, it is the malignancy of the breast
that can be fatal and often affects women.
Health habits. Pertains to the practices
habitually done to keep or maintain ones
physical well-being or ones healthy state.

Risk factors. These are possible
ways, or variety of elements that can
cause diseases.
Acquired. Not present at birth but
develops later in time.
Vices. Habits that can be dangerous
and can pose a threat to ones health.


Theoretical Framework
Traviss Illness-Wellness Continuum
Travis and Ryan believed that it is possible
to be physically ill and at the same time
oriented toward wellness or physically healthy
and at the same time function from illness
mentally.
The treatment model can help an individual
move from left only to the neutral point, where
symptoms of the illness are alleviated.
Wellness oriented measure in any point on the
continuum can initiate wellness intervention.

In breast cancer disease, in terms of
the health habits and lifestyle related to
its development being in the left neutral
point, there is the presence of signs and
symptoms and if the client cannot
manage the unhealthy health habits and
lifestyle it can lead to disability or
death. At this point it is very important
that in every client with breast cancer,
management like exercise, balanced diet
and continuous medication is very vital
to have an optimum health.
well being of a woman. This theory
shows the importance of proper
awareness and education of the
client and how they cope to the
recovery.
Conceptual Framework
There is no significant relationship of the
health habits and lifestyle of the respondent to
the development of breast cancer.




THE END
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