Competency-Building of Rural Women Pioneers Focused on Early Detection of Breast Cancer in New Valley Governorate

Abstract

Worldwide, breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. The practice of breast self-examination can heighten women awareness about the normal breast structure and composition, such option is recommended for early detection of breast cancer. The global shortage of medical workers has increased the call for involving and training community workers as rural pioneers to bridge such gap. The present study aimed to develop competency of rural women pioneers focused on early detection of breast cancer in New Valley governorate -Egypt. A quasi-experimental design was used with a pre post-test. Purposive sample of 82 rural women pioneers in New Valley governorate was invited to take part in the study. Besides personal data, two tools were used to collect required data; a self-administered questionnaire sheet was prepared guided by Cancer Awareness Measure (CAM) and breast self-examination checklist adapted from the document prepared by Egypt Health Workforce Development Project. More than half of the pioneers were at age group 30 to 40, with the mean age 39.1± 6.5 years, and 78% of them had more than 10 years of experience as rural pioneers. A statistically significant difference was found between study subjects' knowledge concerning cancer risk factors & warning signs pre-post intervention, and also in the practice of breast self-examination. Nursing educational intervention designed for community manpower can successfully enhance breast cancer knowledge and practice. On the other hand, further research is recommended to replicate the study at different settings using larger samples to permit for generalization.