Relationship between age and Breast Self-Examination among women in Nigeria

Abstract

Breast cancer has now become the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in several Sub- Saharan African countries, a shift from previous decades in which cervical cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer in many of these countries. One potentially important strategy in reducing breast cancer mortality is breast cancer screening to achieve earlier detection of cancer through Breast Self-Examination. So, creating awareness which is a very important tool entails better screening of breast cancer especially in middle and low income countries. This study examined the relationship between age and Breast Self-Examination among women in Sokoto, Nigeria. Cross sectional design was used to recruit 400 participants using multistage sampling technique. Findings of this study show that majority of the respondents had average knowledge of Breast Self-Examination but only few practiced Breast Self-Examination regularly. Moreover, a significant positive relationship was found between age of the respondents and the knowledge and practice of Breast Self- Examination. There is the need for nurses to teach women the correct procedure for Breast Self-Examination and the importance of regular Breast Self-Examination practice.