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Table 1 Characteristics of study participants

From: Women’s awareness of breast cancer symptoms: a national cross-sectional study from Palestine

Characteristic

Total (n = 5257)

Gaza Strip (n = 2551)

WBJ (n = 2706)

P-value

Age, median [IQR]

31.0 [24.0, 43.0]

30.0 [24.0, 40.0]

33.0 [24.0, 45.0]

 < 0.001

Age group, n (%)

 18 to 39

3615 (68.8)

1859 (72.9)

1756 (64.9)

 < 0.001

 40 or older

1642 (31.2)

692 (27.1)

950 (35.1)

 

Menarche, n (%)

 Normal (11–15 years)

4608 (87.7)

2237 (87.7)

2371 (87.6)

0.003

 Early (≤ 10 years)

72 (1.4)

21 (0.8)

51 (1.9)

 

 Late (≥ 16 years)

577 (10.9)

293 (11.5)

284 (10.5)

 

Parity*, n (%)

 Nulliparity

306 (7.7)

142 (7.4)

164 (8.1)

0.69

 Low multiparity

1898 (48.0)

923 (47.9)

975 (48.0)

 

 Grand multiparity

1752 (44.3)

860 (44.7)

892 (43.9)

 

Educational level, n (%)

 Secondary or below

3030 (57.6)

1457 (57.1)

1573 (58.1)

0.46

 Post-secondary

2227 (42.4)

1094 (42.9)

1133 (41.9)

 

Occupation, n (%)

 Unemployed/home duties

3568 (67.9)

1868 (73.2)

1700 (62.8)

 < 0.001

 Employed

1052 (20.0)

380 (14.9)

672 (24.9)

 

 Retired

13 (0.3)

5 (0.2)

8 (0.3)

 

 Student

624 (11.8)

298 (11.7)

326 (12.0)

 

Monthly income ≥ 1450 NIS, n (%)

3055 (58.1)

716 (28.1)

2339 (86.4)

 < 0.001

Having a chronic disease, n (%)

1058 (20.1)

397 (15.6)

661 (24.4)

 < 0.001

Knowing someone with cancer, n (%)

2520 (47.9)

1083 (42.5)

1437 (53.1)

 < 0.001

 Breast and/or ovarian cancer#

1026 (40.7)

491 (45.3)

535 (37.2)

 

 Other cancers#

1209 (48.0)

483 (44.6)

726 (50.5)

 

 Both#

285 (11.3)

109 (10.1)

176 (12.3)

 

Marital status, n (%)

 Single

1301 (24.8)

626 (24.5)

675 (24.9)

 < 0.001

 Married

3658 (69.6)

1812 (71.0)

1846 (68.3)

 

 Divorced/Widowed

298 (5.6)

113 (4.5)

185 (6.8)

 

Site of data collection

 Public spaces, n (%)

1821 (34.6)

809 (31.7)

1012 (37.4)

 < 0.001

 Hospitals, n (%)

2116 (40.3)

919 (36.0)

1197 (44.2)

 

 Primary healthcare centers, n (%)

1320 (25.1)

823 (32.3)

497 (18.4)

 
  1. N number of participants, IQR interquartile range, WBJ West Bank and Jerusalem
  2. *The denominator is the number of married, divorced, or widowed women
  3. #The denominator is the number of women who knew some with cancer at the time of the interview