Publication:

Knowledge regarding breast self-examination among middle aged women of Uttarakhand

Background Breast self-examination involves the women herself looking at the mirror and feeling each breast for possible lumps and distortion or swelling. It is seen that more than 10% to 20% breast cancer is detected by breast self-examination.

Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted to assess knowledge regarding breast self-examination among middle aged women in a selected community setting of Uttarakhand. A total of 62 samples were selected through systematic randomized sampling technique. A structured knowledge questionnaire was administered through interview technique to assess the knowledge.

Results Most of the (49%) women had poor knowledge regarding breast self-examination. There was significant association between age of the samples, education status, family income and previous information regarding breast self-examination with knowledge score.

Conclusions The study concluded that there was inadequate knowledge regarding breast self-examination among middle aged women in Uttarakhand. There is a need for educational programs to create awareness and improve knowledge regarding routine breast self-examination.