Awareness and impact of education on breast self examination among college going girls

Abstract

Introduction:Breast cancer accounts for 19-34% of all cancer cases among women in India. There is high mortality due to late stage diagnosis as patients usually present at an advanced stage because of lack of awareness and nonexistent breast cancer screening programs. Early detection and prompt treatment offer the greatest chance of long-term survival and breast self-examination (BSE) seems to be a important viable optional substitute for early detection of cancer.Objectives:1) To assess the level of knowledge of degree college female students on BSE. 2) To determine the effectiveness of planned teaching program among degree college female students on BSE. 3) To find the association between pretest knowledge and selected demographic variables.Materials and Methods:Pre-experimental one group pretestpost-test design was carried out among 40 degree female students by using cluster sampling method from selected colleges of Udupi district.Results:The data analyzed showed that majority (52%) of them was in the age group of 18-19 years and 72% of them were had average knowledge on BSE in the pretest score. Out of 40 participants only one student was performing BSE occasionally.Conclusions:Awareness regarding breast self examination among young generations is useful and it is the most important viable tool for early detection.

Comparison of effectiveness of two methods of health education on cancer awareness among adolescent school children in a rural area of Southern India

“…[345678] Results from these studies indicate that there is an urgent need for a reinvigorated and tailored approach to promote health education to increase awareness about cancer prevention and treatment among the educated youth in India. The next logical approach as substantiated by various studies would be to assess the impact of health education to improve awareness regarding cancer.…”

Measuring knowledge and practice in relation to breast cancer screening in mothers in Pakistan

“…[7] For instance, despite the impact of education and awareness of BSE among female college students in India, the same girls are not able to undergo primary prevention for such breast diseases which may result in a worsened outcome. [3] In accordance with a study based in Africa, all the participants of the study agreed that they have been unable to seek screening facilities for breast cancer either due to lack of awareness or lack of facilities in their area of residence. [8] In Pakistan, the problem stems from the same root.…”

“…[1] This high mortality rate is mainly due to late stage diagnoses, since patients usually present at an advanced stage because of lack of awareness and a non-existent breast cancer screening program in some underdeveloped parts of the world, especially in the low socio economic regions. [3] In low socio economic countries the incidence has significantly increased during the last few years. [4] This rise is due to a combination of deficiency of knowledge and scarce available facilities for women to be examined at.…”

“…The greater the understanding of what breast cancer is and awareness regarding breast-self-examination (BSE), the earlier the detection and higher the chances of survival. [3] Hence, raising breast cancer awareness will proportionately reduce the occurrence and mortality rate due to this life threatening disease.…”

“…[4] This rise is due to a combination of deficiency of knowledge and scarce available facilities for women to be examined at. [3] Therefore, it is important for focus to be shifted towards awareness and screening, rather than the treatment of this disease because early detection increases the survival rate of patients. [5] A lot of researches have been conducted all around the world to determine the level of awareness and screening benefits among women.…”