Young Women's Breast Self-Examination Knowledge and Practice

Abstract

A descriptive survey was conducted to identify and describe breast self-examination (BSE) knowledge and practices of young women (< 45 years). The sample consisted of 65 female university nursing students, whose ages ranged between 17 and 45 years (M = 19). Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results of the study were that 99% of the sample had performed BSE in the previous 12 months. Fewer than half (44%) of these participants indicated that they would classify their BSEs as regular; only 27% of the participants reported they had examined their breasts from 9 to 12 times in the previous 12 months, which would normally be considered regular BSE. No significant relation was found between a family history of breast cancer and regular BSE (r = .262). A large percentage of the sample (77%) correctly identified the recommended time for BSE in relation to their menstrual cycle, although only 37% of the participants performed BSE at this time. Significant differences were found between the recommended times for performing BSE and the days of the menstrual cycle on which the participants performed BSE, chi 2(16, N = 64) = 35.330, p < .01. Forty percent of participants indicated they would ask their doctor to obtain more information about BSE. A further 36% of participants indicated they would go to a community health center. The most commonly cited community resource stated by the participants for obtaining BSE information was a doctor.