Breast Cancer Screening Awareness among Women of Reproductive Age in Ghana

Abstract

Abstract Background Breast cancer is the commonest cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths among women. However, information about breast cancer is still limited in most parts of the developing world among reproductive-aged women. This has consequences for timely diagnosis and intervention, resulting in high mortalities in most cases. Effective breast screening practices play a vital role in early detection and treatment of breast cancers. The aim of this study was to assess the awareness and practice of breast cancer screening examination among reproductive-aged women in Ghana. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive survey of 1672 reproductive-aged women was conducted in the northern and southern sectors of the country. All consented participants were aged 18–60 years, sampled randomly from communities in Tamale and Accra, and never reported to any health facility for any breast-related complications. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to gather responses about awareness about screening programmes, knowledge about breast screening methods, knowledge about self-breast examination, willingness to undergo clinical-breast examination, and practice of breast examination. Responses were presented as frequency tabulations, while associations between the responses and age, education, marital status, employment status and religion were assessed by Chi-squared analysis, significant at p < 0.05. Results The results showed that awareness and practice of breast cancer screening methods were higher among the younger women (aged 18–30 years), who were educated up to tertiary level, married, employed and were predominantly Christians. Significant associations were found between knowledge, practice and all the factors except religion. Conclusion Even though most women were aware about breast cancer and mammography as the commonest examination method, practice of breast cancer screening examination was rather low. Efforts should therefore be made by government and other stakeholders in healthcare to focus on education and health policies that will impact on acceptance of women to undergo screening, particularly those in the lower socioeconomic and educational brackets