Assessing knowledge, attitude and uptake of breast cancer screening of female students of College Health Sciences, Makerere university
Abstract
Worldwide, breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in women and is the leading cause of death from cancer among women affecting millions of people. In Uganda, it is noted that factors that contribute to breast cancer mortality rates include
genetics, poverty and unequal access to prompt quality treatment coupled with inadequate awareness and knowledge of the disease, thus not visiting the screening facility and delayed treatment thus contributing to high morbidity and mortality rates. It is proven that early detection through effective screening programs has proven to be a pivotal factor in improving survival rates and reducing the burden of treatment costs associated with advanced stages of breast cancer. The objective of the study was to assess knowledge, attitude, and uptake towards breast cancer screening of female students at College of Health Sciences, Makerere University so as to generate information that will help to develop interventions to increase the prevalence of uptake of breast cancer screening. A cross sectional descriptive study was conducted among female students at college of students of Makerere University. A sample of 572 participants was employed and data collected using structured questionnaire. Collected data was then analyzed at univariate level to assess knowledge , attitude and practices towards breast cancer screening. A total of 572 participants took part in the study. The highest number of participants,491/572(85.84%) were aged between 21 to 30 years. Where, 519/572 (90.73%) of the respondents , were at bachelors level and the rest, 53/572 (9.27%) of them were at masters level. Majority of the participants, 564/572 (98.60%) had high levels of knowledge about breast cancer. Most of the participants have friends / relatives who have had breast cancer and most of them got to know they had breast cancer through screening , followed
by suggestive signs/symptoms. Most of the respondents ,487/572 (85.17%) knew about of breast cancer screening of which , most of them got know through heath facility , followed by television /Radio. The respondents generally had a positive attitude towards breast cancer screening. Majority of the respondents, 283/572 (49.48) strongly believed that they were at risk of getting breast cancer and, 372/572 (65.26%) also strongly believed that screening is important in the fight against breast cancer. The uptake of breast cancer screening is really so low that most of the participants ,458/572 (80.07%) have never screened for breast cancer. The results indicated high knowledge of female students towards breast cancer and breast cancer screening, positive attitude towards breast cancer screening and low uptake of breast cancer screening. This indicates the need for the various stake holders , bodies /NGOs that are in fight against cancers to put more interventions so as to increase the prevalence of uptake of breast cancer screening.