Knowledge of Breast Cancer and Practice of Breast Cancer Screening among Female Teachers in an Urban Local Government Area in Lagos State, Southwestern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is a global health concern and a leading cause of death among women in the world. Enhancing breast cancer screening in developing countries is pivotal in improving women's health. Aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of breast cancer and practices of breast cancer screening.

METHODS

Study design was a descriptive cross sectional study among 348 public senior secondary school female teachers in Surulere LGA. Data was collected using a pretested, structured, open-ended and close-ended self-administered questionnaire. Questions on knowledge of breast cancer and practice of breast cancer screening were scored and graded as good (>50%) and poor (< 50%). The Univariate and bivariate analyses were carried out. Pvalue <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

A total of 332 out of the 348 administered questionnaires were retrieved and analyzed giving a response rate of 95.40%. Respondents' ages ranged from 24-58 years with a mean of 42.61±5.53 years. Overall knowledge of breast cancer was good among 308(92.77%) of the respondents. Majority 264(79.52%) of the respondents performed breast self-examination (BSE), 240(72.29%) have had clinical breast examination (CBE) performed for them by a health personnel and 216(65.06%) of the respondents reported they have had a mammogram.

CONCLUSION

Majority of the respondents had good knowledge of breast cancer. Most common practice of breast cancer screening was BSE, followed by CBE and lastly mammogram. Health education/awareness campaigns are therefore recommended to improve and sustain the existing knowledge and breast cancer screening practices.