A cross-sectional study on breast cancer awareness among female students in Al-Rayan colleges in Al Medina Al Munawara

Abstract

Background: This study aims to evaluate breast cancer awareness among AL-Rayan colleges female students in Al Medina Al Munawara Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 291 female students from Al-Rayan medical colleges in Al Medina Al Munawara, Saudi Arabia. Data was collected through an Arabic version of the modified breast cancer awareness measure (Breast CAM) version 2 which is a validated and reliable then administered online and distributed via social media platforms. Analysis was done by IBM SPSS version 28 and involved descriptive statistics, including frequency distributions and percentiles, while factors associated with awareness levels were analyzed using Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test Results: The participants' mean awareness level was 17.2±7.5 out of 31, out of the total participants 52.6% had a poor awareness level. Out of the participants surveyed, only 42.6%, accurately understood the recommended frequency of conducting self-examinations each month, as secondary prevention only 33% of participants were aware of the best time to start mammography. Only a limited percentage of participants (37.8% and 47.1% respectively) demonstrated knowledge of early menopause and late menopause as potential contributing factors. There was a significant relationship between awareness level and age (p=0.001) and academic year (p=0.001). Conclusions: The findings highlight the importance of continued efforts to educate and raise awareness about breast cancer and its early detection methods among young women. the study demonstrated varying levels of understanding among participants. The overall knowledge assessment indicated that a considerable proportion of participants had moderate knowledge of breast cancer.