Knowledge about and Attitudes towards Cosmetic Breast Surgery among Nigerian Undergraduates

Abstract

Background: Cosmetic breast surgery (CBS) is rarely requested in our surgical practice. Local data on the practice of CBS is also scarce. Therefore, we embarked on this study to explore the issues and attitudes that might influence the decision of Nigerian undergraduates to undergo cosmetic breast surgery. Methods: Structured questionnaires were administered to undergraduates of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Information extracted included the participants' demographic data, awareness of CBS, attitudes about CBS, and perceptions regarding disproportionate breast size. These were analyzed using SPSS for Windows with simple descriptive statistics. Results: Of the 735 respondents, 71% were women and 28.7% were men. In addition, 90% had some knowledge of cosmetic breast surgery and 38% were aware of at least one person who had undergone CBS. Information sources included television, magazines, and radio. Only 14% of the surveyed participants acknowledged their approval of CBS. Reasons given for disapproval included no definite reason, cultural and religious arguments, inability to breast-feed after surgery, and interference with pregnancy. More than 50% of respondents thought CBS caused cancer. More than 70% knew at least one person that they thought had excessively small or large breasts, and half of these thought such persons might benefit from CBS. Conclusion: A number of issues affect a person's decision to undergo CBS. Social acceptance, interference with fertility, and perceptions of health issues appear to be important factors in the low approval rate of CBS in this population. It may be possible to extrapolate this information and compare it with other populations where media influence and public information are more available.