Knowledge, Attitude and Breast Cancer Screening Practices among Women of Reproductive Age in Ezza North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women worldwide and remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. The objective of the study is to ascertain the knowledge, attitude and breast cancer preventive practices of women of reproductive age (15 – 49 years) in Ebonyi State. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted in the study. It consists of 383 women of reproductive age in Ezza North and they were selected across the two zones of the local government area using multi-stage sampling technique. Results: The study revealed that several 132(34.5%) of the respondents are of ages 20-29 years, majority 265(63.2%) and 289(75.5%) of the study participants have attained secondary and tertiary level of education respectively, more number 306(79.9%) of the respondents are Christians, and several 350(83.5%) of the participants are students. More than half 216(56.4%) of the participants have good knowledge of breast cancer while a lesser fraction 167(43.6%) of the respondents have poor knowledge of women about breast cancer. Majority 256(66.8%) of the participants have positive attitude towards breast cancer preventive practices. Also, most 277(72.3%) of the participants have good preventive practices of breast cancer and none of the participant has breast cancer. The shows that there is statistically significant relationship between age (p=0.0001), religion (p=0.0001), occupation (p=0.0001), and preventive practices of breast cancer. Conclusion: The findings indicate that most respondents demonstrated adequate knowledge about the nature, causes, and prevention of breast cancer, recognizing it as a leading cause of death among women and emphasizing the importance of early detection through awareness and screening. Continuous and community-based breast cancer awareness programs should be implemented to sustain and expand women’s knowledge of the disease, its risk factors, and early detection methods.