فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is a leading cause of deaths worldwide. In Pakistan, one in everynine women develops breast cancer some time in her life. This high incidence of breast cancer andthe poor socioeconomic conditions of Pakistan make breast self‑examination (BSE) the best tool forthe prevention and early diagnosis of breast cancer. Therefore, the aim of the study was to assessthe knowledge, attitude, and practice of BSE among female college students of Karachi, Pakistan.METHODS: A cross‑sectional study was conducted on 1000 students from June to December 2016.Data were collected using a pre-piloted questionnaire, and SPSS (version 20) was used for dataanalysis. Chi‑square test was used to determine the significance of the difference in knowledgeand attitude among participants who had performed BSE and those who had not. A P < 0.05 wasconsidered statistically significant.RESULTS: The overall response rate was 90.9%. Although 71.4% of the women knew what BSEwas, only 33.1% had performed it. Majority of the participants considered that BSE is important inthe early detection of breast cancer. With 59.7% of the population having an adequate amount ofknowledge, 87.2% had a positive attitude toward BSE. A medical background was found to be asignificant predictor for adequate knowledge and a positive attitude toward BSE.CONCLUSION: Despite a positive attitude found among the population toward BSE, its knowledgeand practice were inadequate. Educational interventions are required in Pakistan to encourageyoung women to perform BSE regularly so that breast abnormalities can be detected early on andmortalities can be minimized.