Awareness of breast cancer risk factors and practice of breast self examination among female undergraduates in university of Nigeria Enugu campus

Abstract

Breast cancer patients generally have low rates of survival due to being diagnosed at advanced stages raising critical issues about prevention and avoidance of risk factors. Breast self examination makes women more “breast aware”, which in turn may lead to an earlier diagnosis of breast cancer. In Nigeria, the statistics of breast cancer have overtaken cancer of the cervix to become the commonest malignancy in women. This study was carried out to determine the awareness of breast cancer risk factors and practice of breast self examination among female students of the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus. The descriptive survey design was used for the study. The population of the study was all the female students that reside in hostels in the campus (2400) in number. A sample of 240 students was selected using quota sampling technique. Structured questionnaires based on the research objectives were used for data collection. The results of the study showed that most of the students have little knowledge of breast cancer risk factors and majority of the students do not practice BSE monthly. It was recommended that there should be regular organization of seminars and workshops for students to address sensitive topics like breast cancer risk factors and breast self examination.