Factors associated with breast lesions among women attending select teaching and referral health facilities in Kenya: a cross-sectional study
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Background
Despite extensive research on the risk factors for breast cancer, little is known about the factors contributing to other breast lesions, of which some may indicate an increased risk for this disease. The objective of this study was to identify the risk factors for breast lesions among women with breast lumps seeking care at select teaching and referral hospitals in Kenya between December 2016 to December 2019.
Methods
An analytical cross-sectional study design was used to investigate the risk factors for breast lesions among 651 women with breast lumps. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to evaluate the impact of the predictors on the breast lesions. Ethical approval was granted by Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) and the University of Nairobi Ethics and Research Committee (UoN-ERC) under study number P334/04/2016.
Results
The median age of participants was 30 years (range 16-87), with the majority having secondary education and belonging to the Kikuyu ethnic group. Parity, exercise, and contraceptive use were significant predictors of breast lesions identified. Nulliparous women had significantly lower odds of developing malignant (aOR: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.05-0.26), and suspicious (aOR: 0.23; 95% CI: 0.07-0.71) lesions. Regular exercise was associated with lower odds of both malignant and suspicious lesions. Conversely, contraceptive use increased the odds of developing atypical (aOR 0.92; 95% CI: 0.28-2.98) lesions, suspicious (aOR 0.33; 95% CI: 0.14-0.78), and malignant lesions (aOR of 0.31; 95% CI: 0.18-0.55).
Conclusion
Exercise, parity, and hormonal contraception were independently found to be significant predictors of breast lesions. These findings underscore the necessity for personalized risk reduction strategies and emphasize the importance of understanding the risk factors for both benign and malignant breast disease to inform public health policies.
