Assessing Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Self-Breast Examination among Females Students in Aden, Yemen

Abstract

Background: Second most often diagnosed cancer in women worldwide, breast cancer ranks as the second cause of death among all the cancers.

Objective: This study aimed to ascertain how often and how effectively young people undertake self-breast exams to identify breast cancer.

Methods: 160 female students were asked about their demographics, their familiarity with SBE as a screening tool, whether or not they had ever used SBE before, and their knowledge of risk factors, including age and family history.

Results: Of the participants, 55.6% were in their twenties or thirties, while 93.8% were not married. Only 38.1% of respondents reported to have actually utilized SBE, even if 70% of respondents knew it might be used for screening needs. Furthermore, just 41.9% of respondents knew that being older increases the risk; 66.3% were aware that having a family history of breast cancer raises the risk. That aligns with what current research on the discrepancy in public knowledge of the disease and breast cancer screening rates reveals. Though there was a lot of knowledge about risk factors like family history, a sizable portion of the participants did not actively participate in SBE or other breast cancer preventive actions.

Conclusion: The results suggest that young people should be especially informed and assisted to engage in preventative activities against breast cancer. To help young people close the knowledge gap between what they know and what they do so as to raise their adoption of preventative measures, it is imperative to start stronger health education programs.