Knowledge of Breast Cancer and Practice of Breast Self-Examination Among Female Students at Federal College of Education (Technical) Asaba, Nigeria

Background: This study assessed the knowledge of breast cancer and practice of breast self-examination (BSE) among female undergraduate students at Federal College of Education (Technical), Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study utilized a structured, self-administered questionnaire for data collection. IBM SPSS version 26.0 was used for data analysis. Statistical significance was set at p-value less than 0.05. Results: Four hundred students with a mean age of 23.0±4.2 years were studied. Majority 358 (89.4%) had heard of breast cancer with print/electronic media being the highest source of awareness 150 (41.9%). The students knew breast lump 163 (45.5%), breast pain/soreness 108 (30.2%) and discharge from the breast 29 (8.1%) as symptoms and signs of breast cancer, and BSE 207 (57.8%) and mammography 40 (11.2%) as early detection methods of breast cancer. Their knowledge of risk factors of breast cancer was poor, positive family history 159 (44.4%), exposure to ionizing radiation 153 (42.7%), smoking 141 (39.4%), oral contraceptives use 119 (31.8%), being a woman 114 (31.8%). Two hundred and fifteen (53.8%) had ever performed BSE, and 103 (47.9%) performed it monthly. The older students (p<0.0001), those in higher level of study (p<0.0001) and those with positive family history of breast cancer (p=0.042), statistically significantly practised BSE. Conclusion: The overall knowledge of breast cancer and its associated risk factors were poor among the students, but their practice of BSE was fair. Massive awareness campaign and advocacy for health education on breast cancer and its early prevention measures is recommended.