A Dutch Cross-sectional Population Survey to Explore Satisfaction of Women with their Breasts

Little is known about how satisfied women are with their breasts and which factors influence breast satisfaction. Therefore, the aim of this study was to elucidate this by collecting data on breast satisfaction from the general population in relation to age, body mass index, lifestyle, psychological, and physical well-being.

This study was a cross-sectional population survey performed in 2019 in the north of the Netherlands, among randomly selected women between 20 and 80 years. Breast satisfaction was measured in the 1334 participants with the preoperative reconstruction BREAST-Q module. Other applied questionnaires were the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Short Form Survey (SF-36), and a custom-made questionnaire on lifestyle and baseline characteristics. Representativeness was assessed by comparing the participants with Dutch normative data. Possible factors influencing "satisfaction with breasts" were analyzed using multivariate linear regression analyses.

The median (IQR) BREAST-Q score for "satisfaction with breasts" was mediocre: 63 (58-79) on a 0-100 scale. Higher age and higher SF-36 scores had a positive effect on breast satisfaction (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively) and a higher body mass index, smoking and anxiety score greater than 8 were negatively associated (P < 0.001, P = 0.013 and P < 0.001 respectively, multivariate linear regression analyses).

These data are the first European normative data and can serve as a reference in future population and patient-based studies regarding breast satisfaction.