Practice of breast self-examination among rural women in Umuowa, Orlu government area, Imo state, Nigeria

Abstract

Breast cancer is now the most commonfemale malignancy and commonly associated with high levels of morbidity and mortality. 1 Breast cancer is a public health problem that is increasing throughout the world especially in developing countries. 2 It affects both sexes resulting in high number of people being affected with the disease. Although, breast cancer is 100 times more common in women than in men, men tend to have poorer outcomes due to delay in diagnosis. 3 Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in NorthEast Nigeria while it predominates in the SouthWestern part of the country. 4 A review of breast biopsies in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital showed 34 percent of all breast biopsies done over a 10 years period to be malignant. 5 It was also noted that a ABSTRACT Background: Regular practice of breast self-examination is the corner stone of the fight against breast cancer. Increasing breast health awareness would potentially allow for early detection of any anomalies and consequently result in early prognosis. This will in turn lead to increase in survival rate of breast cancer. This study was designed to assess practice of breast self-examination (BSE) among rural women. Methods: Descriptive survey design with the aid of a questionnaire which served as an interview schedule was conducted among 349 women in Umuowa Orlu L.G.A. The main outcome measures were the level of awareness and practice of BSE. Results: From a total of 349 women, a little above half (50%) of the respondents understood the meaning of BSE. Few of the respondents knew that BSE increases survival rate of breast cancer by early detection of abnormalities. Majority of the respondents did not know the abnormalities to check during BSE. Only a few of the respondents knew that BSE should be performed by every woman. Generally, the practice of BSE was inadequate for majority of the participants. There was a positive relationship between the respondents' awareness of breast cancer and their practice of BSE (P-value = 0.000<0.05). Conclusions: The importance of BSE as a key factor in the early detection of breast cancer should be stressed with special emphasis on regular practice of BSE. The proper procedure of BSE should be taught to women in order to ensure accuracy of performance.

Transcultural adaptation and validation of the Persian version of the breast cancer awareness measure (BCAM) questionnaire

“…In the current study, the most effective determinants of awareness levels about early warning signs of breast cancer were educational level, marital status, family history of breast cancer, and age, respectively. The highlighted role of educational status on awareness level in the present study was in agreement with previous studies . In addition, our findings in line with other studies showed a positive association between family history of breast cancer and high awareness levels about early warning signs; however, in our study and few previous studies, the significant association was not observed between personal history of breast problems and knowledge levels about breast cancer .…”

Assessment of breast cancer screening services uptake amid women of childbearing age in three senate zones of Abia State, Nigeria

“…The tertiary education level participants also showed the highest level of uptake than any other level. It has been shown that a higher level of education is associated with greater uptake of breast cancer screening (Serah & Anna, 2009;Opoku et al, 2012;Nwaneri et al, 2020).…”

“…In Nigeria, about two-thirds of women with breast cancer are diagnosed at an advanced stage with the possibility of metastatic spread (Akarolo-Anthony et al, 2010;Nwaneri et al, 2020). Regular breast cancer screening has been suggested as part of an overall health promotion concept, but the problem is the low rate at which it is practiced.…”

Predictors of Breast Self-Examination Practice Among Women Aged 20 and Above In Sidama Region, Southern Ethiopia. Health Belief Model Approach

“…However, the BSE practice in our study was lower to other studies conducted in different areas. For instance ,studies in Kaffa zone, southern Ethiopia (11%), west Gojam Zone, northwest Ethiopia (37.3%), Market women in southwest Nigeria (29.2%), Imo state Nigeria (51.9%), and rural area in Haryana, India (8.7%) showed higher BSE practice (10,11,21,22,23). This disparity could be attributed to the lack of community based awareness creation and screening programs for BSE in the study area.…”