Breast cancer in Jos, Nigeria: An audit on knowledge, attitude, and practices

Objectives: The main purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women concerning breast cancer in Jos and environs. Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 400 respondents within the age of 18 years and above residing in Jos North and South Loc...

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Main Authors: Nanloh S Jimam, Shalkur David, Gboluwaga O Ejisun
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2017-01-01
Series:Environmental Disease
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.environmentmed.org/article.asp?issn=2468-5690;year=2017;volume=2;issue=1;spage=22;epage=26;aulast=Jimam
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author Nanloh S Jimam
Shalkur David
Gboluwaga O Ejisun
author_facet Nanloh S Jimam
Shalkur David
Gboluwaga O Ejisun
author_sort Nanloh S Jimam
collection DOAJ
description Objectives: The main purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women concerning breast cancer in Jos and environs. Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 400 respondents within the age of 18 years and above residing in Jos North and South Local Government Areas of Plateau state. The data collected were then analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0 software programmer. Results: Out of the 400 study populations, only 395 (98.8%) responded to the study and 209 (53.0%) of them fall within the age 18–27 years while 89 (22.6%) were within 28 and 37 years, with only 17.8% and 6.6% in the age groups of 38–47 and ≥48 years, respectively. Two hundred and twenty (55.6%) were single, 153 (38.8%) married, while 8 (2.3%) divorced/separated, and 11 (2.8%) were widowed. The highest number (172 [43.7%]) of the respondents had secondary certificates as their highest academic qualifications, followed by diploma/The Nigeria Certificate in Education/Community Health Extension Workers (25.1%) and first degree (20.8%). Nearly 95% of the respondents have heard of breast cancer, with 30.94% of them having knowledge of the risk factors, 59.9% knew the signs and symptoms of the disease, and their main source of information (35.8%) was the media. Most of the respondents had positive attitude toward the disease, but their cancer breast screening practices were generally poor as majority of them (47.1%) had no idea of the right age to initiate self-breast examination, with majority (28.4%) confessing not practicing self-breast examination very often, neither visiting medical practitioner for breast cancer examination and care. Conclusion: The result of this study shows positive attitudes of the respondents toward the disease though high percentage of them had poor knowledge on risk factors and average knowledge of the signs and symptoms of the disease, in addition to poor breast self-examination practices.
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spelling doaj.art-05e872e16a2b4804a9dd6d68e114a9182022-12-21T23:07:42ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsEnvironmental Disease2468-56902468-57042017-01-0121222610.4103/ed.ed_2_17Breast cancer in Jos, Nigeria: An audit on knowledge, attitude, and practicesNanloh S JimamShalkur DavidGboluwaga O EjisunObjectives: The main purpose of the study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of women concerning breast cancer in Jos and environs. Methods: A semi-structured questionnaire was administered to 400 respondents within the age of 18 years and above residing in Jos North and South Local Government Areas of Plateau state. The data collected were then analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0 software programmer. Results: Out of the 400 study populations, only 395 (98.8%) responded to the study and 209 (53.0%) of them fall within the age 18–27 years while 89 (22.6%) were within 28 and 37 years, with only 17.8% and 6.6% in the age groups of 38–47 and ≥48 years, respectively. Two hundred and twenty (55.6%) were single, 153 (38.8%) married, while 8 (2.3%) divorced/separated, and 11 (2.8%) were widowed. The highest number (172 [43.7%]) of the respondents had secondary certificates as their highest academic qualifications, followed by diploma/The Nigeria Certificate in Education/Community Health Extension Workers (25.1%) and first degree (20.8%). Nearly 95% of the respondents have heard of breast cancer, with 30.94% of them having knowledge of the risk factors, 59.9% knew the signs and symptoms of the disease, and their main source of information (35.8%) was the media. Most of the respondents had positive attitude toward the disease, but their cancer breast screening practices were generally poor as majority of them (47.1%) had no idea of the right age to initiate self-breast examination, with majority (28.4%) confessing not practicing self-breast examination very often, neither visiting medical practitioner for breast cancer examination and care. Conclusion: The result of this study shows positive attitudes of the respondents toward the disease though high percentage of them had poor knowledge on risk factors and average knowledge of the signs and symptoms of the disease, in addition to poor breast self-examination practices.http://www.environmentmed.org/article.asp?issn=2468-5690;year=2017;volume=2;issue=1;spage=22;epage=26;aulast=JimamBreast cancerknowledgeattitudesand practicesrisk factorsself-breast examination
spellingShingle Nanloh S Jimam
Shalkur David
Gboluwaga O Ejisun
Breast cancer in Jos, Nigeria: An audit on knowledge, attitude, and practices
Environmental Disease
Breast cancer
knowledge
attitudes
and practices
risk factors
self-breast examination
title Breast cancer in Jos, Nigeria: An audit on knowledge, attitude, and practices
title_full Breast cancer in Jos, Nigeria: An audit on knowledge, attitude, and practices
title_fullStr Breast cancer in Jos, Nigeria: An audit on knowledge, attitude, and practices
title_full_unstemmed Breast cancer in Jos, Nigeria: An audit on knowledge, attitude, and practices
title_short Breast cancer in Jos, Nigeria: An audit on knowledge, attitude, and practices
title_sort breast cancer in jos nigeria an audit on knowledge attitude and practices
topic Breast cancer
knowledge
attitudes
and practices
risk factors
self-breast examination
url http://www.environmentmed.org/article.asp?issn=2468-5690;year=2017;volume=2;issue=1;spage=22;epage=26;aulast=Jimam
work_keys_str_mv AT nanlohsjimam breastcancerinjosnigeriaanauditonknowledgeattitudeandpractices
AT shalkurdavid breastcancerinjosnigeriaanauditonknowledgeattitudeandpractices
AT gboluwagaoejisun breastcancerinjosnigeriaanauditonknowledgeattitudeandpractices