Name: Zoya Anjum

Roll No : 21011711-013

Supervisor : Dr. Bushra Bibi

Department of Psychology
 Topic
Ehealth Literacy, Breast Cancer
Literacy and Protective Health
Behavior among Females
 Introduction
• Electronic health literacy is the practice of using electronic
technology in healthcare. People with electronic health literacy
are better able to manage their own health and care needs
because they can access and apply information from electronic
sources to solve health problems (Singhal, 2020).
• The US Department of Health and Human Services claims that
e-health literacy can increase the safety of medical care, improve
medical decision-making abilities, and build health skills and
understanding of medical information (Austin, 2012).
• According to Sohail and Alam (2007) the risk of developing breast cancer
has grown in Pakistan, with 1 in every 9 women having a lifetime risk of
being diagnosed (as cited by Zaheer et al., in the year 2019).
• Inaccessibility to screening and diagnostic facilities, illiteracy, a lack of
timely decision-making, and women's ignorance about early breast cancer
diagnosis are some of the causes of this (Hortobagyi et al., 2005).The
population-level disease burden is reduced by focusing on controllable
variables including illiteracy regarding breast cancer symptoms and its
early identification.
• Health protective behavior (HPB) as any action taken by a person to
protect, promote, or preserve their health, regardless of their perceived or
real health state, whether or not such action is objectively beneficial in
promoting health (Harris, 1979).
• According to Grindrod, Forgione & Tsuyui, (2014) health care
professionals (HCPs), several social media technologies are
accessible, including social networking platforms, blogs, microblogs,
wikis, media-sharing sites, and virtual reality and gaming settings.
Professional networking and education, organizational promotion,
patient care, patient education, and public health campaigns can all
benefit from these instruments (as cited by Ventola, 2014).
• Having positive self-perceptions, having strong self-control, and
having strong social abilities are examples of positive characteristics
that are considered to be individual attributes (Brown, 1988).
Maintaining a positive self-image helps lower mental health problems
and boost self-assurance. Self-control improves health and wellness
by reducing the likelihood of drug misuse and other addictions.
 Significance of study
• The most frequent cancer in women is breast cancer, and both its
prevalence and incidence are increasing globally. According to Dr.
Muhammad Asad Parvaiz , In Pakistan, 83,000 new cases of breast
cancer are diagnosed each year, and more than 40,000 of those
women pass away from the disease, which makes it the most
common cancer among women in the nation (as cited by Malik,
2020).
• People with electronic health literacy will better able to manage their
own health and care needs because they can obtain and utilize
information from electronic sources to solve health problems.
• Health-protective activities are those that encourage a healthy
lifestyle, reduce risk factors, and reduce negative health impacts.
 Objectives
• To study the ehealth literacy among females.
• To study the protective health behavior used by females.
• To study the perceptions of females about the breast cancer
experienced by females.
• To examine the relationship between ehealth literacy, breast cancer
literacy and protective health behavior among females.
• To explain the variability in protective health behaviors by means of
ehealth literacy and breast cancer literacy.
 Hypotheses
• Higher the ehealth literacy higher will be the protective
health behavior.
• Higher the breast cancer literacy higher will be the protective
health behavior.
• Ehealth literacy and breast cancer literacy will be the
significant predictor of protective health behavior.
 Literature
• According to the Venkatesh and Sykes, in the year 2013. Ehealth literacy has
become identified as a vital idea with the capacity to provide significant
positive health impacts. First promoted by developed nations, emerging
nations are now working to adopt it into their healthcare systems. Madden and
Lenhart (2013), the world population is rising at a rate of 1.4% annually, but
technology users are expanding at a rate of 7.9% annually, according to
statistics from the "Pew Internet and American Life Project". This difference
shows how a tendency for adopting cutting-edge technology is becoming into
an excellent source of information. Using Android smartphones and other
similar devices has also made it easier to access internet health information.
Pew Internet data show that 52% of smart Android mobile users have searched
for internet health information on their devices more than once. Other Pew
Internet data show that 10 out of 100 people use the internet, and of these 10,
seven people fit the description of young.
• Adoption of e-health literacy in Pakistan faces significant
challenges from inadequate literacy, electrical problems, rural
populations, weak internet connections, and the digital divide
between wealthy and poor (Asad et al., 2017 & Tatara et al.,
2019). In Pakistan, 72% of people live in countryside, while
the remaining 28%, primarily the elderly who are less
habituated to using digital technology to get health
information, live in cities (Farrer et al., 2020).
• According to Julian et al., in the year 2020, 21% of breast
cancer patients in the US showed low health literacy,
compared to 79% of those with the diagnosis (as cited by
almoajel, Alshamrani & Alyabsi, 2022).
• In the journal of Badar et al., (2005) Pakistan has Asia's highest breast
cancer incidence rate. Additionally, young women come with
advanced breast cancer, which has a harmful effect on prognosis. Due
to the genetic nature of breast cancer, which is passed from mother to
daughter, rural women see an annual increase in the illness. Women in
Pakistan's rural and urban areas must deal with uterine, ovarian, and
cervical cancer (as cited by Menhas & Umer, 2015).
• In an longitudinal study according to Raza et al., (2012), Ulzar &
Akhtar, (2019), and Naz et al., (2016) studies on the influence of
sociocultural beliefs and their effects on postponed breast cancer
screening and treatment in Pakistan are few. A few studies have looked
into the patient's understanding of breast cancer in Punjab, the role of
social support in dealing with breast cancer, how breast cancer is
handled and managed, and delayed presentation of breast cancer.
• Public health professionals from all around the world have
emphasised the value of leading healthy lifestyles in recent years.
According to World Health Organization (WHO) studies,
unhealthy lifestyles are to blame for at least 60% of the burden of
illnesses in the world.
• According to Steptoe et al., (1994), health behaviors are actions
people take to protect, promote, or maintain their health and battle
against sickness. Health researchers and practitioners are very
interested in the issue of whether or not a "healthy lifestyle" can be
defined. A healthy lifestyle entails maintaining health-conscious
behaviour throughout time in a variety of contexts, including food
decisions, drug usage, physical activity, and preventative measures
(as cited by Peltzer, 2009).
 Research Methodology
• Research Design
A quantitative research design will be used in this research.
Present research will follow the cross-sectional research
design.
• Sample size
Population of study will be females from different areas of
Punjab, Pakistan. Females less than 25 years will be excluded
from the study. Sample size for females will be 760. The
participants will be selected by using convenience sampling
technique.
• Instruments
a) Informed Consent Form
b) Demographic Sheet
c) Ehealth literacy scale (Norman & Cameron 2006)
d) Breast cancer literacy assessment tool (Williams, Hines
& Templin 2013)
e) Health Protective Behavior (Ping & Cao, 2018)
• Data analysis
Data will be analyse through SPSS-21.
 Outcomes of the Research
People will understand how to cope with the breast cancer
with early identification with the help of ehealth. Breast
cancer outcomes providing equal educational opportunities
for women seems necessary. Breast cancer awareness is
essential because early identification is necessary. That done
through screening and can identify the illness which it is
most effective. People who are digitally health literate can
gain more knowledge from electronic sources to resolve
their health issues. Protective healthy behaviors can not only
increase longevity but also lower the chance of losing
mobility and independence later in life.
 References
• Singhal’, [. (n.d.). What is e-Health? E-Journal of Cardiology- Practice/Volume-18
• Akhtar, Kalsoom; Yusuf, Shazia Dr; Fahd, Samar Dr; and Ajmal, Imran, "Electronic Health (e-health)
Literacy among Undergraduate University Students" (2022). Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal).
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• Zaheer, S., Shah, N., Maqbool, S.A. et al. Estimates of past and future time trends in age-specific breast cancer
incidence among women in Karachi, Pakistan: 2004–2025. BMC Public Health 19, 1001 (2019).
• Harris, D. M., & Guten, S. (1979). Health-protective behavior: An exploratory study. Journal of health and
social behavior, 17-29.
• What is Health Promotion? (2019, November 18). College of Public Health
UGA. https://publichealth.uga.edu/departments/health-promotion-behavior/what-is-health-promotion/
• Brown, A. Health Protective Behaviors | Models and Mechanisms of Public Health.
• Malik, A. (2020, October 8). Pakistan has highest rate of breast cancer in Asia. The News International.
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