Determinants of breast self-examination practice among women attending pastoralist health facilities, Southern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Breast cancer remains the most serious public health problem affecting millions of women worldwide. Despite various studies regarding breast self-examination practices conducted among health professionals and students in Ethiopia, limited information was found on women attending health care services in the pastoralist community. This study aimed to identify the determinants of breast self-examination practice (BSE) among women attending pastoralist health facilities in Southern Ethiopia. Methods An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 421 women who were attending family planning services in pastoralist health facilities in South Omo Zone, Southern Ethiopia from January to February 2022 using systematic random sampling to select a woman from each health facility in Jinka town. Data were collected using structured, pretested, and interviewer-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics such as proportions, means, and standard deviations were used to describe each relevant variable. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the determinants of BSE practices among women. Result The mean age of the women was 25.43 ± 6.66 years. Fifty-four percent (n = 173) of the women had heard of BSE from health professionals. Eighty-nine (21.1%) women had undergone BSE. Women who resided in the urban areas (AOR = 6.79, CI: 3.40, 13.56), attained at least primary education and above (AOR = 8.96, CI: 4.14, 19.35), heard about BSE (AOR = 4.07, CI: 2.07, 7.98), and had a family history of breast cancer (AOR = 7.46, CI = 3.27, 17.00) were significantly associated with BSE practice. Conclusion and recommendation Our study showed that women's practice of BSE was lower when compared with the local studies. We recommend health care professionals and others working in the area improve ways of increasing awareness about breast cancer, including its risk, and the need for BSE.

Knowledge, attitude, and practice of breast self-examination is associated with general self-care and cultural factors: a study from Tamil Nadu, India

“…The samples from all these research studies, including the present study, are from rural regions where various psychosocial and demographic factors are associated with carrying out BSE. They include education, area of residence, awareness about BSE, family history with breast cancer [ 30 ], health professionals’ advice on BSE, ethnicity [ 42 ], and employment [ 41 ].…”

“…Health literacy is another variable determining whether women engage in BSE [ 32 ]. Socio-demographic aspects such as education and domicile also relate to BSE [ 30 ]. In addition, culture was found to influence self-care behaviours in general [ 33 ].…”

Assessing breast self-examination knowledge, attitude and practice as a secondary prevention of breast cancer among female undergraduates at the University of Dodoma: a protocol of analytical cross-sectional study

“…An institutional-based cross-sectional study conducted among young adults attending family planning services revealed that 224 (53.2%) women believed that it would be simple to perform BSE, 293 (69.6%) women mentioned that BSE was not a sexual activity initiation, 179 (42.5%) women reported that it was inappropriate to touch their breasts, 73.9% women said that BSE is important for preventing breast cancer and 59.4% women want BSE because it does not result in a positive cancer test ( 20 ). The systematic scoping review that included 21 studies revealed that the majority of senior high school students in Nigeria (82.6%) and female nurses in Ghana and Ethiopia (59.2%) had positive attitudes toward BSE ( 21 ).…”

“…A study conducted in Northwest Ethiopia in 2021 revealed that 17.4% of students studied had practiced BSE, which is associated with a lack of knowledge ( 22 ). Furthermore, the study among women attending family planning in southern Ethiopia revealed that 89 (21.1%) women have ever engaged in BSE, while 192 (57.8%) women have never practiced BSE because they believed they were healthy and others were afraid to be diagnosed with breast cancer ( 20 ). Meanwhile, the study in Turkey reported that 50% of students said they had performed BSE, and 33.3% reported having done so regularly.…”