Analysis of the level of knowledge and health behaviors in terms of prevention and early breast cancer detection among female students and workers

Introduction. Cancer diseases make an important health problem around the world. In Poland, the issue of cancers is enormous. Such little optimistic statistics must be influenced by multifactorial etiology of breast cancer and late detection of the disease.

Aim. Aim of this work is to compare the level of knowledge and health behaviors in terms of prevention and early breast cancer detection among female students and women working in Lubelskie territory.

Material and methods. The study was conducted among 302 women living in Lubelskie territory with diagnostic survey method. A questionnaire included 34 questions referring to knowledge and attitude towards early breast cancer detection and prevention. The tool was created particularyly for this purpose.

Results. 98% female student and 97,4% of working women was indicated early detection give the biggest chance for recovery from the disease. Most of the respondents (57,4% female student vs. 70,8% working women) pointed to mammogram as the best method of breast cancer detection. 63,5% of female students know what screening was, whereas only 35,1% of working women give the correct answer. Almost half of the students (49,3%) does not attend appointments to control their breasts while in the group of working women, majority attends this kind of consultation (77,9%). In both groups most of the respondents knew how to self-examine their breasts. However, a small percentage of the surveyed women examined themselves regularly.

Conclusion. Knowledge of breast cancer prevention in both groups is unsatisfactory and needs to be completed.

Nursing Topics 2015; 23 (1): 20–26