Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding breast cancer among the women in rural Karnataka, South India

Abstract

Introduction and Aim: Breast cancer is one of the major causes of mortality next to cervical cancer among women in India. Annually 2,00,000 new cases of breast cancer are detected in India. Comparatively 60% of them are detected in an early stage.  The present study was undertaken to explore the level of knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding breast cancer among women.   Materials and Methods: Three hundred and sixty women were selected through cluster sampling for the study. A pre-designed, pre-tested, and validated questionnaire comprising mixed types of structured and semi-structured questions was used to collect the information from women through one-to-one interviews.   Results: The majority of the selected women were between 36- 55 (64.4%) years of age and the majority (64.7%) of them were employed of whom 39.7% of them were beedi rollers.  Regarding knowledge of the symptoms of breast cancer, 60.6% did not know about the symptoms, and 68.3% did not know the detection methods. Most (85.3%) of the women were unaware of the practice of Breast Self- Examination.   Conclusion: The results of the current study indicate a low level of knowledge of breast cancer. The study findings suggest that the awareness programs on breast cancer and its detection methods may help women to improve their level of understanding, be more responsive towards the early identification of the symptoms of breast cancer and seek timely medical help.