Factors associated with the uptake of clinical breast examination for early detection of breast cancer: interaction analysis of the 2022 Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey and Malaria Indicator Survey.

Introduction: In Tanzania, few studies have identified predictors of clinical breast examination (CBE). To the best of our knowledge, no published study has comprehensively identified factors associated with the uptake of CBE from a nationally representative sample. Therefore, this study fills this gap by conducting a secondary analysis of data from the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey 2022 and the Malaria Indicator Survey. We answered this research question: What are the factors associated with the uptake of CBE for early detection of breast cancer among Tanzanian women aged 15-49 years? Methods: We performed descriptive analysis by calculating weighted frequencies and percentages, which enabled us to determine the prevalence of CBE uptake across various characteristics of the study participants. We used the 'svy' command in Stata to assign sample weights and adjust for clustering effects and sample stratification. A multivariate binary logistic regression model was used to determine the statistical significance and strength of the influence of each independent variable on CBE uptake, after controlling for other explanatory variables. Results: The study has shown that women with low incomes, who are unemployed and those without health insurance have lower odds of undergoing CBE. The finding that there is an interaction between age and residence, as well as between age and education, in relation to the outcome variable (CBE), suggests that the relationship between age and CBE may be influenced differently based on where someone lives or their level of education. This could point to unique barriers or influences in different age groups, depending on their environment or educational background. Conclusion: The overall uptake of CBE among women aged 15-49 years in Tanzania is very low (5%). There is a need to urgently implement targeted breast health awareness education programmes at all health system levels.