Knowledge and Practice of Breast Self-Examination Among Young Women in Tertiary Education in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the top cancer among women both in the developed and the developing world. Many deaths can be avoided if breast cancer can be detected and treated early. The practice of breast self-examination (BSE) is a convenient, no-cost tool that can be used regularly for detecting breast cancer at an early stage. Therefore, this study sought to assess the knowledge and practice of breast self-examination among young females in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. METHODS: Institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 358 females using a pre-tested and self-administered questionnaire. The data were cleaned and analyzed using SPSS version 23, and the descriptive statistics, linear and logistic regression were used for analysis. The possible predictors were identified using the odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval and a P-value of 0.05. RESULTS: Almost half of 188 (52.5%) respondents had heard about breast cancer self-examination, while the media were the main source of information. The study revealed that only as little as 47 (13.1%) respondents did appropriate BSE. While confounding factors were controlled for, the linear multivariate regression analysis indicated that the healthcare providers as information sources about BSE (β = 1.9; CI= 0.62, 2.9; p < 0.01) makes the greatest unique contribution to explaining the BSE knowledge level. Moreover, the study indicated that the more age (β = 1.4; CI=1.1, 1.8; p < 0.01) and knowledge (β = 1.34; CI=1.1, 1.64; p < 0.01) the females have, the more likely it is that they will report practicing BSE. CONCLUSION: This study showed that a few females implemented regular BSE. Further implementations are needed in addressing young females, making awareness and advocacy campaigns about BSE to increase early diagnosis of breast cancer that raises the chances for successful treatment in Ethiopia.