Predictors of breast self-examination performance among Jordanian university female students

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers of childbearing age

Background

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization recommend exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) for up to 6 months. Despite the importance of breast milk, EBF is far less prevalent in Nigeria than is recommended for developing countries. Worse still, the odds of EBF practice are very low in rural communities. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of EBF as well as identify the factors associated with EBF practice among mothers of childbearing age in Chamo town, Jigawa State, Nigeria.

Methods

The study is a cross-sectional design using a questionnaire to assess the required information. The methodology involved the use of simple random sampling to select mothers of reproductive age from Chamo town, which is a rural community located in Jigawa State, Nigeria. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess the mother's knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding EBF. Simple and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the factors associated with the practice of EBF.

Results

A total of 400 mothers between the ages of 18 and 41 took part in the study. More than half of the participants (57.8%) were between the ages of 26 and 33 and had a primary level of education (30.5%). Only 26.8% of the respondents practice EBF. Those with a tertiary education (AOR = 10.00, p < 0.001), civil servants (AOR = 12.51, p < 0.001), those aware of EBF (AOR = 3.65, p = 0.002), those with correct EBF knowledge (AOR = 4.61, p < 0.001), those with a positive attitude toward EBF demand (AOR = 0.51, p = 0.050), and those who received encouragement from their community (AOR = 9.87, p < 0.001) were more likely to practice EBF.

Conclusion

The findings of the study revealed that the majority of the respondents' knowledge, attitude, and practice of EBF were minimal. This shows the need to step up efforts to educate mothers about the advantages of EBF for both their own health and that of their children while they are in the hospital recovering from childbirth.

Breast self-examination practice and predictors among female secondary school teachers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: using the health belief model

Background

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed reproductive organ cancer among women in Ethiopia. Even though breast self-examination (BSE) is shown to be the least expensive, less time-consuming, and non-invasive screening method, the practice of breast self-examination in Ethiopia is poor. Therefore this study aimed to assess breast self-examination practice and predictors among female secondary school teachers using the Health Belief Model.

Materials and methods

An institution-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among 589 female secondary school teachers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A self-administered questionnaire containing socio-demographic characteristics, sources of information, knowledge, perception on breast self-examination, and BSE practice was prepared based on the Champion's revised Health Belief Model and used as a data collection instrument. Multi-variable binary logistic regression was employed to identify the predictors of breast self-examination practice with significance set at p < 0.05 by controlling possible confounders.

Result

Breast self-examination was practiced by 43.6% of female secondary school teachers. Television and radio were the commonest sources of information about breast cancer and breast self-examination. Personal history of breast problem (AOR 3.27, 95% CI 1.13–9.45), teaching experience (AOR 2.46, 95% CI 1.33–4.56), knowledge (AOR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01–1.12) and perceived self-efficacy (AOR 1.07, 95% CI 1.01–1.12) were significantly associated with BSE practice.

Conclusion

The practice of breast self-examination was found to be low. Perceived self-efficacy, personal history of breast problems, and the knowledge level of female teachers were factors associated with the practice of BSE. This suggests the need for educational programs to enhance knowledge regarding breast cancer and improve the practice of breast self-examination.

Breast Self-Examination Knowledge and its Determinants among Female Students at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia: An Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Breast self-examination is a noninvasive, low-cost screening method for breast cancer detection. A thorough awareness of breast self-examination enables the early detection of breast abnormalities and dramatically lowers breast cancer complications and mortality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the level of knowledge about breast self-examination and its associated factors among female students at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

Methods

An institution-based cross-sectional study design was employed. The final calculated sample size was 407, and participants were recruited using a proportionate stratified random sampling approach. For data entry and coding, EPI Data 3.1 statistical software was utilized, and for data analysis, SPSS version 18 was employed. The data was described using descriptive analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the strength of the association between the predictor and the outcome variables. A 95% confidence interval and a p-value of less than 0.05 were used to declare statistical significance.

Results

The findings of this study revealed that 49.9% of respondents possessed good breast self-examination knowledge. Previously, urban residents were about two times more likely to have good knowledge of BSE than their rural counterparts (AOR =2.16, 95% CI (1.18–39.91), p =0.011). The odds of having good BSE knowledge were about three times more likely among those who had a good attitude than those who had a poor attitude (AOR =3.17, 95% CI (2.02–4.74), p <0.001). Those who knew someone with a diagnosis of breast cancer were almost three times more likely to have good knowledge than those who did not know (AOR =2.95, 95% CI (1.77-4.91), p <0.001).

Conclusion

According to the findings of this survey, less than half of the students who participated had good knowledge of breast self-examination. This justifies raising awareness about breast self-examination among female students.

Practice and Barriers toward Breast Self-Examination among Palestinian Women in Gaza City, Palestine

Breast self-examination (BSE) is one of many first-line screening practices aimed at early detection and prevention of fatal outcomes of breast cancer. The present study aimed to identify Palestinian women's practices, awareness, and barriers to BSE. Using descriptive-analytical methods, a previously validated questionnaire was administered to a conveniently selected sample of women. The study was conducted among women who visited primary health clinics (PHCs) in Gaza City. A total of 390 participants who met the selection criteria answered the self-administered questionnaires. We used SPSS version 24.0 to analyze the data. The findings suggest that the practice of BSE among women in Gaza is low, with only 40% of the study participants reporting that they never practiced BSE before, even though 76.7% reported that they were aware of BSE. In general, the main barriers to BSE practices were that participants had wrong perceptions and lacked knowledge about BSE. Others also reported fear of detecting breast cancer as a barrier. The practice of BSE among Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip is low and marred with trivial issues as barriers that could be eliminated with dedicated and extensive educational campaigns in the area.

Evaluating female nursing students' knowledge and attitudes regarding breast self-examination

The purpose of this study was to evaluate female nursing students' knowledge and attitudes regarding breast self-examination (BSE). The sample consisted of 175 nursing students from a university in Cyprus. We collected data via a questionnaire that included the Greek version of the Champion Health Belief Model scale and questions regarding the participants' demographic characteristics. More than half of the participants (58.3%) said that they were knowledgeable about BSE and 29.1% of them had been taught about it during their studies. Nevertheless, 59.9% reported never having performed BSE, while 40.1% had performed it at least once. Only 10.9% of the students performed BSE every month for more than a year. Self-confidence had a positive and significant correlation (0.86) with BSE frequency. Also, we found quite a low level of BSE knowledge and practice levels, and this highlights the need for establishing breast cancer prevention programs.