Breast self-examination practice and associated factors among female healthcare workers in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Breast cancer is common global public health problem. It is the principal cause of cancer related death. In Ethiopia, study findings regarding prevalence and associated factors of BSE among female healthcare workers have been inconsistently reported and highly variable. Thus, this systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the pooled prevalence of breast self-examination practice and determinants in Ethiopia. Methods A systematic search of PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Global Health, Google Scholar, CINAHL and Scopus from April 2, 2020 to April 24, 2020. Data were extracted from articles included in the review using a data extraction tool which was adapted from the Joanna Briggs Institute. the quality of each included article was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Data analysis was done using STATA 11. The Cochrane Q and I2 test were used to assess heterogeneity between the studies; and publication bias was assessed using funnel plots and Egger’s test. A random effects meta-analysis was computed to determine the pooled prevalence of breast self-examination. The determinants for breast self-examination were examined. Forest plots were used to present the prevalence and odds ratio with 95% confidence interval. Results After reviewing 9605 studies, 12 studies involving 4129 female healthcare workers were included for this review and meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of breast self-examination practice among healthcare workers in Ethiopia was 56.31% (95% CI: 44.37, 68.25). The subgroup analysis further revealed that the higher breast self-examination practice was observed among other healthcare workers, 58.60% (95% CI: 43.31, 73.90). Good knowledge (AOR = 3.02; 95% CI: 1.24, 7.35), positive attitude (AOR = 2.73; 95% CI: 1.95, 4.13) and family history of breast cancer (AOR = 3.21; 95% CI: 1.22, 6.52) were significantly associated with breast self-examination practice among healthcare workers. Conclusion This meta-analysis found that nearly half of the female healthcare workers were not performed breast self-examination. The finding of this study suggests the need of strengthening early diagnosis of breast cancer and control strategies with a collaborative effort of policymakers and other concerned stakeholders.

Knowledge and Practice on Breast Self-Examination and Associated Factors among Summer Class Social Science Undergraduate Female Students in the University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia

“…The current study revealed that the odds of having good practice of BSE were 7.14 times higher among students with family history of BC than those who had no. This finding is also supported by previous studies [ 14 , 15 , 29 ]. This could be explained by the fact that students having family history of BC are more likely to get the opportunity to notice the burden as well as the preventive and screening measures of BC including BSE than their counters.…”

“…This finding is in agreement with results reported from studies conducted in India [ 26 ] and Nigeria [ 29 ]. It is also aligned with the findings of local studies done in Addis Ababa [ 27 ], Debre Tabor [ 33 ], Debre Birhan University [ 16 ], and West Shoa [ 34 ] and SR and MA in Ethiopia [ 14 , 15 ]. This might be due to the logic that students with better knowledge on the way how to do, the time when to do, and the purpose why to do BSE are more likely to test their health status by themselves in this particular issue and are likely to be enthused to know the result.…”

“…In Ethiopia, studies regarding BSE largely focused on health care workers and health science students and were conducted in large cities of the country mainly at referral hospitals [ 9 – 13 ]. In this context, a systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis (MA) on BSE practice among female health care workers depicts that the pooled prevalence of BSE is 56.31% ranging from 32.5% to 80.7% and predicted by good knowledge, positive attitude, and family history of BC [ 14 ]. A more recent review article on BSE among all women in Ethiopia shows that the pooled BSE practice is 36.72% [ 15 ].…”

Level of knowledge and practice of female healthcare providers about early detection methods of breast cancer at Debre Tabor Comprehensive Specialised Hospital: a cross-sectional study

“…This study also revealed that about 106 (79.7%) healthcare providers had good knowledge about early detection methods of breast cancer. This finding is consistent with the study on Bahirdar University's female students [31] but lower than a study from West Shoa (66.8%) [17], Eritrea (60.6%) [32] and the pooled prevalence estimate in Ethiopia [28]. The difference might be due to the difference in the study participants and study period.…”

“…Most breast cancer patients in developing countries suffer very long delays and have high mortality rates [23][24][25][26]. Although healthcare providers are the key for creating awareness about breast cancer and its early detection methods of breast cancer, most studies reported as that there is a gap in the knowledge and practice of those early detection methods [27][28][29].…”