Promoting breast health among female adolescents: a comparative analysis of the effects of two didactic tools on knowledge and practice regarding breast self-examination in Southwest Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Teaching effective methods for breast self-examination (BSE) to adolescent females is essential for promoting early detection and improving outcomes in breast cancer management. This study therefore aimed to compare two pedagogical tools for teaching BSE among adolescent females. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design with a group for pre- and post-intervention tests was adopted. The sample included 970 female senior secondary school class I-III students. The Yamane formula was used to determine a sample size of 276. Pre- and post-intervention data were collected using an observation checklist for practice and a validated questionnaire with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.76 for knowledge of BSE. A proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to determine the number of participants for each group. Among the 276 participants, 161 were taught the traditional method (TM), i.e., a lecture, and 115 were taught using the modern method (MM) by watching a podcast that contained BSE lessons. Post-intervention data were collected after six weeks. The data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics at a 5% level of significance to compare the effectiveness of the methods. RESULTS: The findings of this study showed that the participants' mean ages across the two methods were 15.49 ± 1.65 and 15.43 ± 1.40 years for the traditional method (TM) and modern method (MM), respectively. Pre-intervention mean BSE knowledge scores in both the TM and MM groups were 8.19 ± 3.17 and 8.31 ± 2.39, respectively, and BSE practice scores were 7.17 ± 2.48 and 6.44 ± 2.75, respectively. Post-intervention knowledge mean scores in both the TM and MM groups increased to 13.75 ± 4.09 and 16.92 ± 2.91, respectively, and post-intervention practice scores increased to 13.06 ± 2.74 and 15.68 ± 3.12, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that both teaching methods were effective at teaching breast self-examination among female adolescents; nevertheless, modern methods are more effective at teaching breast self-examination among female adolescents.

Academic Ethical Awareness among Undergraduate Nursing Students of a Private University in Nigeria: A Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study.

Introduction: Academic ethical awareness is a crucial prerequisite for practice, serving as the cornerstone for a professional demeanor in clinical settings and ensuring future adherence to nursing ethics. Objectives: This study assessed academic ethical awareness as well as its related characteristics among undergraduate Nursing students of a private university in Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional research design was utilized. The study was conducted among undergraduate nursing students of a private university in Nigeria. A convenience sample of 158 nursing students from 300 level to 500 level voluntarily participated in this study. Data were collected using the Academic Ethical Awareness Questionnaire and descriptive statistics, mean and standard deviation were employed to analysis the data collected. Results: The mean age of nursing students was 21.1. Majority of the respondents were females, Christians and claimed average financial status with 87%, 94%, and 68%, respectively. Nursing students demonstrated moderate academic ethical awareness (69.5%), a mean score of 3.68 ± 0.81. They knew that revealing patient information in public places of the hospital, disregarding, slandering, or making fun of patients in face-to-face interaction, and having someone else attend class as a substitute were unethical behaviors with mean scores of 3.96, 3.90, 3.88, and 3.88, respectively. Academic ethical awareness was low for submitting cut and paste report, not paying attention in class and being late to class, with mean scores 1.81, 2.05, and 2.80, respectively. Gender, level of study, and satisfaction with Nursing as a course of choice are significant determinant of ethical academic awareness with P value of .018, .005, and .011, respectively. Conclusion: Nursing students assessed demonstrated moderate academic ethical awareness. Improved instruction is required regarding the value of appropriate classroom behavior and emphasis on the implications of plagiarism in practice.