Awareness of Breast Cancer and Practice of Breast Self-Examination Amongst Female Students of a Tertiary Institution in South-South Nigeria

Background: Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths presently, representing about 23% of all cancer cases and approximately 18% percent of deaths are attributed to it in Nigeria. It is presently the most prevalent kind of cancer worldwide, with 2.26 million cases reported in 2020. Breast Self-Examination (BSE) is a way to watch for signs of breast cancer. It is a step-by-step process women can use to examine their breasts. By looking at, and feeling their breasts regularly, they can observe abnormal changes. Aim: To assess the awareness of breast cancer and practice of breast self-examination amongst female students in a tertiary institution in South-South Nigeria. Methods: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study done amongst female students of the Federal University Otuoke from January to March 2018. Simple random sampling technique by simple balloting was used in the selection of the respondents until sample size was achieved. Data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire and were analyzed using SPSS version 23. Results: Most, 406 (95.8%) of the respondents have heard about breast cancer. Just 52.1% of the respondents practice Breast Self-Examination (BSE) and 203 (47.9%) do not. Amongst those that practice BSE, majority 113 (54.1%) do it at least once a month. Amongst those that do not practice BSE, 48 (27.6%) do not consider it important. Age, ethnic group/tribe and the religion of respondents have a statistically significant association with been aware of breast cancer and also with practice of BSE (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Awareness about breast cancer was very high but practice of breast self-examination was on the average. There is need for more education on the risks of the disease in the general population and the need for early detection by practicing BSE and other screening measures.