Effectiveness of Planned Teaching Program on Knowledge Regarding Breast Self-Examination among Women in Selected College, Bangalore

Abstract Introduction: Cancer has been increasing massively and gaining more concerns as a public health problem in both developed and developing countries. Breast cancer prevalence rates in women outweigh those of other cancers. Globally, 6,70,000 women died from breast cancer. In India 13.5% incidence is reported, ranking it second among cancers in Indian women. Early diagnosis of breast cancer affords a better chance of survival and a better prognosis. Breast self-examination (BSE) is a tool for early detection that involves physical and visual inspections to check for possible breast cancer signs and symptoms. The current study aimed to assess women's knowledge of breast self-examination and the effectiveness of planned teaching programs. Methodology: A pre-experimental one-group pre-test post-test study design was carried out to assess the effectiveness of the planned teaching program on knowledge regarding breast self-examination. A non-probability convenient sampling technique was used to select 90 subjects, aged between 18-25. A self-administered questionnaire containing demographic variables and items on BSE was administered to assess the participant's knowledge levels. Results: In the pre-test results, 73.3% of the participants had low knowledge, and 26.7% had average knowledge. On the other hand, 11.1% had average post-test knowledge and 88.9% had good post-test knowledge. The pre-test mean score was 10.588±3.176 and the post-test mean score was 20.211±1.604. The obtained ‘t’ value is –26.562 and the calculated p-value is 0.00 statistically significant at p<0.05. It was observed that there was a significant association between the knowledge and selected socio-demographic variables like type of family, history of breast cancer in the family, and awareness of breast self-examination. Conclusion and Interpretation: The study revealed that 88.9% of participants acquired adequate knowledge after the education program with a mean score of 20.211. The findings indicate that the pre-test knowledge level and a few demographic factors, such as family type, history of breast cancer in the family, and awareness of breast self-examination, were significantly associated. At a significance level of p<0.05, it indicates that women's knowledge regarding BSE had increased following the Planned teaching program.