Impact of health education on preventive practices of breast cancer among women from rural field practice area of a Medical College in Hyderabad, Telangana State

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer (BC) is the most prevalent cancer among Indian women. The Indian Council of Medical Research found 1.5 lakh new cases in 2016. In 2020, globally 2.3 million women were diagnosed; 685,000 deaths occurred. Lack of awareness about risk factors, signs, symptoms, and preventive practices is the main cause for its increasing incidence. Breast self-examination (BSE) has a role in the early detection of cancer. Its treatment is effective when diagnosed in the early stages. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the impact of health education on preventive practices of BC among women. Subjects and Methods: A community-based interventional follow-up study was conducted in a rural field practicing area of government medical college, Hyderabad. Using multistage sampling, 260 women in the 20–50 years of age group were selected. Data regarding knowledge of BC were collected by pretested questionnaire in the preintervention phase. In the intervention phase, health education on BC and BSE was imparted through audiovisual aids and flip charts. In the postintervention phase, the impact of health education was assessed 2 weeks later using the same questionnaire. Data were entered in MS Excel and analyzed by Epi Info version 7. Results: In pre and postintervention phases, the knowledge regarding BSE practice increased from (5%) to (77.7%); obesity (20.8%) to (71.5%); breast lump (7.7%) to (71.2%); advancing age (5.8%) to (68.5%); nipple discharge (3.8%) to (63.1%); alcohol (6.6%) to (61.9%) and family history (13.5%) to (60%). Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of health education on preventive practices of BC in increasing knowledge.