Breast Cancer awareness and practice of breast self examination among rural women in Enugu State
Abstract
There is a growing concern that many rural women lack awareness and knowledge about breast cancer and never engage in breast self-examination. This study investigates breast cancer awareness and practice of breast self-examination among rural women in Enugu State. Descriptive survey design was used for the study while a sample of 384 women was selected from rural communities in Enugu State. The questionnaire was the instrument for data collection while data was analysed using mean and standard deviation. The result showed that most of the rural women in Enugu State get information from family and friends. It was also found that most of them are not aware of symptoms and risk factors of breast cancer and do not engage in self-examination of their breasts for possible signs of cancer. Based on the findings, the study, recommends, among others, that health communication agents should incorporate opinion leaders into their campaigns considering that most of the women get information from family and friends.