Knowledge and practice of testicular self-examination among secondary students at Ntare School in Mbarara District, South western Uganda.

Catherine Atuhaire,Samuel Nambile Cumber,Ambrose Byamukama,Rosaline Yumumkah Cumber

doi:10.11604/pamj.2019.33.85.15150

Abstract

IntroductionTesticular self-examination (TSE) is a screening technique that involves inspection of the appearance and palpation of the testes to detect any changes from the normal. Globally, the incidence of cancer has increased among which is testicular cancer (TC). Data on this topic among male secondary school adolescents in Uganda is limited therefore this study sought to assess the knowledge and practice of testicular self-examination among secondary students at Ntare School, Mbarara District in south western Uganda. The objective of the study is to assess the knowledge and practice of testicular self-examination among secondary students at Ntare School in Mbarara district, south western Uganda.MethodsWe conducted a descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study among 165 students. Recruitment was made using simple random sampling technique. Respondents were selected among advanced level (A’ level) male students studying at Ntare School in Mbarara district, south western Uganda. Structured self-administered questionnaires were used for data collection.ResultsOf the male students, 41.8% reported to have knowledge about TSE and only 23.6% practiced TSE. Most students rated their knowledge of TSE to be below 5 (from 1-10). Of the 39 students who admitted performing TSE, only 16 did so as recommended (monthly).ConclusionThe knowledge and practice of TSE were low among adolescent secondary school boys in Ntare School in Mbarara District, south western Uganda. This suggests that these students are unaware of the value of this personal health promotion tool which is fundamental in early diagnosis of testicular cancer.

Highlights

Testicular self-examination (TSE) is an easy screening technique that involves inspection and palpation of the testes to detect any changes and for early detection of testicular cancer [1]
It has been shown that young males in Uganda lack knowledge and majority not to be practicing testicular self-examination (TSE). This is reflected by a study done in 2012 among Ugandan male university students whereby 71% of the sample did not know when to perform TSE and 80% reported to lack the skill for performing TSE and only 14% were performing TSE regularly [18]
If young males have low levels of knowledge, it means that the practice of TSE will be poor and this will lead to late detection of testicular tumors or other scrotal abnormalities

Summary

Introduction

Testicular self-examination (TSE) is an easy screening technique that involves inspection and palpation of the testes to detect any changes and for early detection of testicular cancer [1]. In this procedure, males check their own testicles in order to rule out any unusual lumps or bumps, which maybe the first sign of testicular cancer [2]. Testicular cancer is a disease in which cells become malignant (cancerous) in one or both testicles [5] It is the most common cancer among 15 to 34 year-old males [4]. Testicular cancer incidence is strongly related to age, with the highest incidence rates overall being in younger males

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