Title: Factors that influence breast cancer screening among women of reproductive age in the
Nandom Municipality, Ghana
Version: 1 Date: 05 Jul 2022
Reviewer's report:
Comments to the Authors
# General comments
Authors should kindly note a repetition of corresponding authors email.
#Abstract
In the last sentence of the Abstract’s background, authors should kindly note the sentence “….
Nandom the Municipality. Ghana……”. I suggest the word “the” should be removed.
# Background
1. On the second paragraph of background is mentioned “Current epidemiological data on
breast cancer are inadequate as most studies are based on clinic pathological characteristics”.
Authors should kindly provide references for these studies that are based on clinical pathological
characteristics.
2. On the third paragraph, authors should kindly reference the statement “Breast cancer screening
is the cornerstone to early detection”.
3. On the fourth paragraph, authors indicated that “The Nandom Municipality has had its fair
share of this galloping cancer as it is estimated according to end of year review that, out of every
ten (10) women who report to the various Maternal and Child Health Clinics in the various sub-
Municipalities, at least one (1) has a complaint of breast swelling, lumps or sore nipples, which
are signs of breast cancer”
Please this information is evidence-based and hence authors should add reference.
4. Authors should kindly restructure the sentence “Unfortunately, because mammography is not
done in the municipality and women have to be referred to as far as to Tamale Teaching Hospital
for the screening”. I believe the sentence will be meaningful and complete if “and” is removed
from it.
5. On the fifth paragraph, I suggest authors should removed “as the researcher did”
6. Authors stated that “The conceptual framework for the current study was adapted from the
Health Belief Model”. Please there is no conceptual framework to refer to in the manuscript.
7. Authors should kindly note that after your first abbreviation of Health Belief Model, only the
abbreviation should be repeated throughout the manuscript. Kindly check paragraph 5 “Guided
by the Health Belief Model (HBM)” and paragraph 6 “…was adapted from the Health Belief
Model (HBM)”.
8. On the last paragraph, authors should kindly provide a reference to the statement “The
model focuses on six main constructs; perceived susceptibility, perceived seriousness, perceived
barriers, perceived benefits, self-efficacy, and cues to action.”
#Methods
Study site
1. Authors should reconcile the two sentences about estimated population into one which denotes
a repetition. Kindly check line 5 and 6 under study site and reconcile.
2. How does the study population show the need to assess the factors that influenced breast
cancer screening as indicated under study site? Authors should kindly elaborate.
Sampling method
1. The authors indicated using multistage sampling technique. Please kindly indicate clearly the
sampling technique used in selecting one community in each sub-municipality.
2. Authors should justify why they preferred using convenient sampling technique to other
techniques in selecting participants.
Data collection procedure
1. Authors should kindly indicate the period or duration they used for data collection
Discussion
1. Authors did not include limitations and strengths of the study. Authors should be kindly
include these at the discussion section of the manuscript.