Tiongco Raphael Enrique, Castro Eliezer John, Baco Alyssa Denisse, Casiguran Sarah, De Jesus Ma Allona, Dimatulac Evangel, Ferreras John Dominic, Gilbuena Chloe, Sunglao Angelie Rose, Santillan Jennifer, Navarro Annalyn
Health Sciences Program, Graduate School, Angeles University Foundation, Angeles, Philippines.
Department of Medical Technology, College of Allied Medical Professions, Angeles University Foundation, Angeles, Philippines.
J Educ Health Promot. 2024 Oct 28;13:413. doi: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_1879_23. eCollection 2024.
Breast self-examination (BSE) is an inexpensive, harmless screening tool for finding breast cancer. This study examines the knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers of female college students from a local higher education institution (HEI) regarding BSE, focusing on those in the reproductive age group.
Three hundred sixty (360) female college students, including 226 health sciences majors and 134 non-health sciences majors, were selected through criteria sampling. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire to assess knowledge, practices, and perceived barriers.
Key findings reveal that despite excellent BSE practices (52.5%), a significant proportion of respondents (51.7%) demonstrated insufficient knowledge about BSE. The main barriers to BSE execution were fear of discovering concerning findings and fear of being diagnosed with breast cancer. Health science majors exhibited significantly higher knowledge and practices than non-health science students, perceiving lower barriers. Age was found to have no significant impact on the variables examined. Majors and perceived barriers were not associated with BSE, but knowledge showed a significant association. Despite their excellent practices, participants' unsatisfactory knowledge regarding BSE suggests the need for effective interventions. Barriers primarily stemmed from fear, including the fear of a breast cancer diagnosis and the fear of learning about potential issues.
The study highlights the association between knowledge and BSE practices, emphasizing the importance of knowledge development and overcoming perceived barriers to improve BSE practices and encourage greater engagement.
乳房自我检查（BSE）是一种用于发现乳腺癌的低成本、无害的筛查工具。本研究调查了当地一所高等教育机构（HEI）的女大学生对BSE的认知、实践情况以及感知到的障碍，重点关注处于育龄期的学生。
通过标准抽样选取了360名女大学生，其中包括226名健康科学专业学生和134名非健康科学专业学生。使用自填式问卷收集数据，以评估认知、实践情况和感知到的障碍。
主要研究结果显示，尽管BSE实践情况良好（52.5%），但仍有相当比例的受访者（51.7%）对BSE的了解不足。BSE实施的主要障碍是害怕发现异常情况以及害怕被诊断出患有乳腺癌。健康科学专业学生的认知和实践情况显著高于非健康科学专业学生，且感知到的障碍更低。研究发现年龄对所考察的变量没有显著影响。专业和感知到的障碍与BSE无关，但认知与之存在显著关联。尽管参与者的实践情况良好，但她们对BSE的认知不尽人意，这表明需要采取有效的干预措施。障碍主要源于恐惧，包括对乳腺癌诊断的恐惧以及对了解潜在问题的恐惧。
该研究强调了认知与BSE实践之间的关联，强调了知识发展以及克服感知到的障碍对于改善BSE实践和鼓励更多参与的重要性。
