Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Skills About "Breast Self-Examination" Among Students of Medical and Non-medical Streams.

Breast cancer (BC) is a treatable disease, and chances of survival are higher if it is detected in time. The survival rates of BC in India are low because the detection takes place late. Awareness about BC can result in early presentation. The Breast Self-Examination (BSE) can convert the late presentation to early. The aim of the present study is to assess awareness about BC and BSE among Indian adult female students. A total of 1025 females between 17 and 30 years of age professionals working from home were approached using online platforms. Data was collected using a semi-structured demographic tool and awareness questionnaire. Majority of the medical students have better knowledge regarding BC. There is a significant difference in scores regarding knowledge, attitude, and skills between medical and non-medical stream adult students. Similarly, practice of BSE also varied in both groups. This might be the one of the first few studies in the year 2023, to be following up after years of awareness and already presented data and work done so far, the results suggest that there is still a vast gap in knowledge, attitude, and skills regarding BC and practice of BSE between female adult students of medical and nonmedical streams. The overall outcomes are better among medical stream students, but it is still unsatisfactory. There is a need to refocus on the strategies which may result in improving the awareness and practice of BSE in female students as they are the target population for improving the overall community outcome of this cancer.