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

Abstract

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.

Determine knowledge and belief of Somalian young women about breast cancer and breast self-examination with champion health belief model: a cross-sectional study

“…Many studies conducted in regions such as Asia, Turkey, Africa, and the Arab peninsula, applications have achieved similar results to our study findings and have shown a very low knowledge of BSE (average 20%) [8,14,39,[42][43][44]. However, in a study conducted with female university students in Ethiopia, the rate of having good BSE knowledge was found to be 49.9% [45]. These results suggest that BSE is a less well-known practice and requires the broad participation of women to improve this situation.…”

The Assessment and Comparison of the Knowledge of Breast Self-Examination and Breast Carcinoma Among Health Care Workers and the General Population in an Urban Setting

“…The correct age to begin BSE was misidentified by women from all backgrounds, including doctors. The overall percentage was still higher than the study conducted in Ethiopia, where the aggregate was 32% [17].…”

“…The correct age to begin BSE was misidentified by women from all backgrounds, including doctors. The overall percentage was still higher than the study conducted in Ethiopia, where the aggregate was 32% [ 17 ]. There is a need to educate women about the correct age for commencing BSE, including the health care staff, who seemed uncertain about it.…”

“…Women largely credited media as the most crucial source of breast cancer information, as has been reported in another study [16]. These women are mainly unaware of BSE, with awareness statistics significantly lower than studies conducted for students in Sharjah, UAE [16], Ethiopia [17], and Saudi Arabia [18], but higher than the level of awareness seen in another study conducted in Ethiopia [19].…”

Knowledge, practice and associated factors of breast self-examination among female university students of Bangladesh

“…Hence, an older age could be considered more appropriate starting point for BSE. But considering the awareness impetus of BSE and based on recent studies [ 21 , 22 ] age 20 could also be considered as the correct starting age. Another important point to be noted is that the Shanghai study [ 9 ] showed that there is no preferred method of BSE which could bring survival benefits in breast cancer patients.…”