Female breast cancer as taboo: cultural factors and awareness amongst patients and their families in the Philippines
Statistical information from cancer studies show that the Philippines has the highest incidence rate of breast cancer in Asia. Efforts on creating awareness are being spearheaded by the country’s health department, local governments, and cancer-interest organizations. Despite these, discussion...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2018
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/13263/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/13263/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/13263/1/29086-89104-1-PB.pdf |
| Summary: | Statistical information from cancer studies show that the Philippines has the highest incidence
rate of breast cancer in Asia. Efforts on creating awareness are being spearheaded by the
country’s health department, local governments, and cancer-interest organizations. Despite
these, discussions on the issue remain a forbidden topic among many Filipinos, particularly
the patients and their families themselves. This study aims to know the central discourses
behind the prevailing treatment of Filipinos on female breast cancer as taboo and the
correlation to the slow development of awareness on the illness. A quality circle was
conducted on three middle-aged women from General Santos City, southern Philippines. All
of the respondents were breast cancer survivors. A discourse analysis on the data figured that
there are two central and interconnected discourses hindering the awareness and acceptance
of breast cancer: (i) fear and denial due to financial instability, and (ii) folk belief. The
researchers suggest that instead of coursing breast cancer treatment budget through the
Philippine government’s health insurance provider, it should be directly allocated to the
country’s health services program. They concluded that beyond creating awareness, it is with
the accessibility of treatment that the Filipino people will be liberated from the prevailing
central discourses on breast and any type of cancer. |
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