National Journal of Community Medicine (Mar 2018)
Awareness Regarding Breast Cancer and Its Screening Methods among Women of the Reproductive Age Group in Rural Coastal Karnataka
Abstract
Introduction: Incidence of breast cancer is on the rise in the developing nations due to increasing urbanization and adoption of western lifestyles. High mortality rate among women is attributable to barriers such as ‘low cancer awareness’. Objective: To assess the awareness regarding breast cancer among women of reproductive age group. Methodology: A Cross-sectional study was conducted in Kumpala village among women in the age group 15-49 years for a period of one month between April to May 2017. After taking informed consent, all the participants were personally interviewed through pre-designed and pre-tested questionnaire regarding awareness of breast cancer. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Results: Of the 165 people included in the study 81.8% (135) of the study participants had heard about breast cancer. Among 135 participants, 50.4% (68) of the participants were not aware of the symptoms of breast cancer, 76.3 %( 103) were not aware of risk factors of breast cancer and 52.9% (70) were not aware about breast self examination (BSE). Conclusion: Awareness regarding breast cancer was found to be poor, be it about risk factors, warning signs, or early detection procedures. Socioeconomic status and education was found to be significantly associated with their level of awareness.
