Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Breast self-examination among the Nursing students, UAE

Abstract

Introduction Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers and is the main cause of cancer-related deaths in women globally. Breast cancer awareness and early detection depend heavily on breast self- examination (BSE). It is an easy and economical procedure that enables people to keep track of their own breast health and possibly detect unhealthy changes in the breast tissue. Objectives of the study · To assess the knowledge on breast self-examination · To determine the attitude towards breast self-examination. · To assess the practice of breast self-examination · To Correlate Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of breast self-examination · To associate selected demographic variables with the knowledge and attitude of breast self-examination Methods A quantitative research approach with a descriptive cross-sectional research design was used to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of breast self-examination among 100 nursing students studying in Gulf Medical Univerisity who were selected using the total enumeration technique. Results Sixty-seven percent of participants were found to have good knowledge of BSE, while the other 33% had poor knowledge. Fifty-four percent of participants had a positive attitude towards BSE. Only thirty-nine percent of them had practiced breast self-examination. The correlation analysis revealed a weak negative correlation with a Pearson correlation coefficient of -0.189, although the relationship was not statistically significant (p > .05). Conclusion This study revealed good knowledge and positive attitudes but poor practices of breast self-examination among the Nursing students. The necessity is to develop training programs that enhance awareness about the significance of practicing Breast self-examination (BSE).