ABSTRACT
Self breast examination (SBE) has been recommended as an important preventative practice for the early identification of breast cancer in women. However, our understanding of women's knowledge, attitudes, and practices of self breast examination in Nicaragua is limited. In the present study, we conducted a cross-sectional study of women aged 18 years and over (n=500) living in selected urban and rural areas of Nicaragua. Measures included the survey reflected knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and practices related to self breast examination. We compared these measures between women living in urban and rural areas and women aged 18-39 years and 40+ years. Using a t-test, we tested the significance of these differentials. Results indicate widespread and significant differentials in basic knowledge and behaviors on self-breast examination practices among women living in rural and urban locations in Nicaragua. Further, while younger women reported significant and lower overall knowledge about breast cancer (BC), purpose and reasons for SBE, characteristics of women who tend to be at higher risk for BC, and strategies and steps women take performing SBE compared to women who were in the 40+ age group. Study results call for location and population-specific programs and policies addressing disparities in breast cancer prevention efforts in the country.
ABSTRACT
The importance of self-breast examination to identify early signs of breast cancer has been widely discussed in scientific literature. We conducted a cross-sectional survey of women aged 18 years and over (n = 547) living in urban and rural areas in the State of Jalisco, Mexico. Survey questions included measures on knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and practices related to self-breast examination. We compared these measures between women living in urban and rural areas and women aged 18-39 years and 40+ years. Using t-test, we tested the significance of these differentials. Our results indicate that there is no significant difference in knowledge, attitudes, behavior, and practices regarding self-breast examination between women living in urban and in rural areas of Jalisco. However, we found some difference in these measures between women in 18-39 years and 40+ years. While the State of Jalisco has taken significant steps toward promoting significance of cancer prevention, further attention to women in the older cohort is recommended.
