Knowledge About Breast Cancer Risk-Factors, Breast Screening Method And Practice Of Breast Screening Among Female Healthcare Professionals Working In Governmental Hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

Breast cancer in women is a major health burden both in developed and developing countries.Although there is no cancer registry in Ethiopia cervical and breast cancers are the top two cancer types having a lion's share for the high maternal deaths in the country. Stratified random sampling with proportional allocation and systematic random sampling techniques were employed to assess the knowledge of breast cancer risk factors and practice of breast cancer screening methods among female healthcare professionals in governmental hospitals of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16 in bivariate analysis. In bivariate analysis age, marital status work experience and educational level had association with study participants' practice of the three breast cancer screening methods. These female health workers who were expected to act as role models and educate the public had adequate knowledge of breast cancer risk factors (85.0%)), BSE (77.6%), CBE (71.4%), and mammography (81.4%) but poor practice of BSE (35.5%), CBE (32.5%) and mammography (16%).Considering their leading role in breast cancer awareness and information dissemination, efforts should be made by Government to improve practice of breast cancer screening methods among female healthcare professionals.

<p>Breast Self-Examination Practice and Associated Factors Among Secondary School Female Teachers in Gammo Gofa Zone, Southern, Ethiopia</p>

“…In many findings, the practice of BSE was determined by the knowledge of women or having information on diagnostic methods of breast cancer. 11,14,21 Similarly, in the current study, participants who were knowledgeable on BSE were more likely to perform BSE. In this study, only 38.5% of the study participants were knowledgeable about BSE.…”

“…This result was lower than cross -sectional studies conducted among female teachers in Nigeria (46%) in 2012, in Mosul city among school teachers (84%) in 2013, among health professionals in western Ethiopia (58%) in 2017 and Addis Ababa (77.6%) in 2012. 2,11,20 The reasons for this difference might be difference in access to information, because in this study area, only half of the study participants had ever heard about BSE than the comparison groups, which might have an effect on the knowledge of BSE in this study's participants. However, it is higher than the study conducted in Nigeria among women following antenatal care (12.7%) in 2009.…”

“…10 Different studies conclude this may be due to lack of uniform information, education, and communication about the breast cancer disease, and screening methods were found to be a public health challenge. 11 In addition, only 12.1% monthly in Kafa, southwest Ethiopia in 2015, 12 and only 14.4% of health extension workers (HEWs) in West Gojam practiced BSE regularly; 13 one-third of the participants (33.7%) only practiced regularly in 2017 by health professionals in Addis Ababa. 2 Factors contributing to the low level of BSE practices as identified by different literatures where knowledge of BSE and breast cancer, income, 14 level of education, 17,23 ever heard about BSE, 15 perception factors and others.…”

Awareness and Knowledge of Breast Cancer Risk Factors, Symptoms and Screening Among Females in a Hospital in North India

“…[3] In our study 60% participants had not heard of breast self-examination and only 5% participants were regular performers of breast selfexamination. In a study by Sharma PK et al [11] only 4.58% participants were aware of and periodically conducted breast self-examination, whereas in another study by Patel NA et al [7] only 8 women out of 160 knew about breast self-examination among which only 2 women practiced breast self-examination.…”

“…Established risk factors for breast cancer includes family history of breast cancer, gender, early menarche (<12 years), late menopause (>55 years), no breast feeding, oral contraceptive pills, aging, alcohol, smoking, late age at full term pregnancy (>30 years), obesity, high dose radiation to chest and personal history of breast cancer. [3,4] For primary prevention, it is very important that every woman is adequately made aware of various risk factors and symptoms of breast carcinoma. Early detection of breast carcinoma can be achieved by performing Breast SelfExamination (BSE), Clinical Breast Examination (CBE) and mammography.…”