A cross-sectional study on knowledge about breast cancer among women aged 20-30 years

Abstract

Background: Worldwide breast cancer is one of the most common type of non-skin cancer in women and the fifth most common cause of cancer death. As the incidence of breast cancer is rising, there is a current need to educate the women on preventive measures of breast cancer. The objectives of the study were to assess the knowledge on risk factors and on the preventive measures of breast cancer among women aged 20-30 years.Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 women aged 20-30 years residing in an urban area in Coimbatore. A questionnaire was designed to assess the awareness levels on risk factors and the preventive measures of Breast cancer among the study participants.Results: The study showed that most of the women (91%) were not aware about the risk factors of breast cancer and only 7.5% knew that lesser duration of breast feeding for <6 months is an important risk factor for breast cancer. 89.5% were not aware about the symptoms of breast cancer. 92.5% were not aware about the preventive measures of breast cancer. None of them were aware of breast self-examination (BSE) as an important early detection measure for breast cancer. Comparing the educational status and the level of awareness on Breast cancer among the study subjects we found that the educational status had significant influence on the level of awareness on breast cancer (p<0.0001).Conclusions: The knowledge on risk factors, symptoms and on the preventive measures of breast cancer among the women aged 20-30 years was very low. To increase the awareness about breast cancer in the community, frequent educational interventions and screening programs needs to be conducted by health workers.