Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Breast Self-Examination Among Female Students in Debre Birhan University, North Shewa Ethiopia

Tesfa Mengie,Woldetsadik Niguse,Meseret Ekubay,Andargie Yifru,Asfaw Fikre,Damen Demsie

doi:10.11648/j.ajcem.20200803.13

Tesfa Mengie, Woldetsadik Niguse + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajcem.20200803.13

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Abstract

Breast Self-Examination is a method where by women examines their breasts regularly to detect any abnormal swelling or lumps in order to seek prompt medical attention. Knowledge, attitude and practice towards breast self-examination is important among females for screening, early detection and diagnosis of breast Cancer. Objective of the Study was to determine knowledge, attitude and practice regarding breast self-examination among female students in Debre Birhan University, 2013. Institutional based cross sectional study design was used among 374 students. Simple random sampling was used. Data was entered onto Epi Data version 3.01, exported to and analyzed by SPSS version 20 statistical software. From the total of 367 participants 170 (46.3%) had heard about breast self-examination while most 197 (53.7%) had never heard about it. The commonest source of information about breast self-examination was media 118 (69.4%). Majority 273 (74.4%) of the respondents had poor knowledge, most 289 (78.7%) of the respondents had negative attitude and majority 281 (76.6%) of the respondents had poor practice of breast self-examination. Practices have associations with academic year, department and media exposure. Generally, in this study knowledge, attitude and practice of breast self-examination was unsatisfactory. Poor practice is an indication of poor knowledge and negative attitude. Programs should be strengthened about breast self-examination and its importance for early detection of breast cancer.

Highlights

Breast self-examination is one of the vital screening techniques for early detection of breast lumps, most especially cancer of the breast
The study conducted on knowledge, attitudes, regarding breast cancer detection practices found that out of 57 south Asian women, 12% of the participants practiced breast self-examination monthly
Studies in Nigeria indicate that the attitudes of breast self-examination, only 18.3% respondents care to seek for knowledge about breast self-examination, others 81.7% did not bother to know more on breast self-examination, Three hundred (42.8%) respondents believed that it is necessary to perform breast self-examination [7]

Summary

Introduction

Breast self-examination is one of the vital screening techniques for early detection of breast lumps, most especially cancer of the breast. Medical advances have shown that onethird of all cancers are preventable and a further one third, if diagnosed sufficiently early, is potentially curable. This observation demands that cancer control should be of increasing priority in the health care programme of developing countries [1]. Despite the advent of modern screening methods, more than 90% of cases of cancers of the breast are detected by women themselves using breast self-examination [3]. The study conducted on knowledge, attitudes, regarding breast cancer detection practices found that out of 57 south Asian women, 12% of the participants practiced breast self-examination monthly. Breast self-examination is an important method to detect breast cancer early and little is known about

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