Breast Self-Examination Practice and Associated Factors Among Secondary School Female Teachers in Gammo Gofa Zone, Southern, Ethiopia

INTRODUCTION: Nowadays, breast self-examination (BSE) is a breast cancer screening method that identifies breast mass by the woman herself. However, it is not widely practiced due to various problems. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of BSE practice and associated factors among female secondary school teachers in Gammo Gofa Zone, South Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 247 female secondary school teachers, from March 1 to 30, 2018. Participants were selected using the lottery method. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Data were cleaned, coded, and entered into Epi data manager 4.4 and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Binary logistic regression was employed. RESULTS: Of 82 respondents, 34.3% had ever performed BSE. Among these, only 32 (13.4%) had practiced BSE monthly (regularly). Being knowledgeable on BSE [AOR=2.84, 95% CI (1.41, 5.72)], ever heard about BSE [AOR=2.26, 95% CI (1.07, 4.77)], being married [AOR=4.09, 95% CI (1.64, 10.22)], having less perceived barrier to BSE [AOR=2.62, 95% CI (1.26, 5.46)], having high perceived confidence [AOR=3.63, 95% CI (1.79, 7.39)] and motivation to BSE [AOR=3.29, 95% CI (1.15, 9.45)] were significant predictors of BSE practice. CONCLUSION: In this study, one in three women had ever practiced BSE, whereas about one in seven women regularly practiced BSE. The main reasons for not practicing BSE were: not knowing how to perform BSE and forgetfulness (for regular practice). Therefore, integrated work on behavioral change communication and interferences that focus on improving knowledge of BSE, and skills on how to perform BSE is needed. Additionally, the identified domains of the health belief model (perceived barrier, perceived confidence, and perceived motivation) may be the most effective strategies that should be considered by Gammo Gofa Zonal health and educational offices.