Knowledge and attitude towards breast cancer screening among female students at the University of Zambia: a cross-sectional study
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Introduction
Breast cancer is a significant public health concern worldwide. It is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in Zambia. A major contributor to the high morbidity and mortality is late-stage diagnosis due to a lack of knowledge of the risk factors, early signs and symptoms, and breast cancer screening methods. This study aimed to assess the level of Knowledge and Attitude towards breast cancer screening methods among female students at the University of Zambia and determine the factors associated with the knowledge and attitude towards breast cancer screening
Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted 1 st August and 30 th September 2024. A previously validated structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The data from the online questionnaire was automatically entered into Microsoft Excel. The data were coded and analysed using Stata. Logistic regression determined factors influencing knowledge and attitude, adjusting for other variables.
Results
Of the 389 respondents, 39 (10.0%) were not aware of breast cancer. Of those who were aware, 132 (38.8%) had good knowledge, and 189 (55.6%) had a good attitude. Compared to first-year students, fifth-year students (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]= 3.74, 95% CI: 1.34, 10.48) and sixth-year or above students (aOR=5.45, 95% CI: 1.65, 18.04) were more likely to have good knowledge.
On the other hand, students in non-health-related training programs (aOR=0.22, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.38) were less likely to have good knowledge than students from health-related training programs. Similarly, students in non-health-related training programs (aOR=0.49, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.79) were less likely to have good attitudes than students from health-related training programs.
Conclusion
This study reports poor knowledge and moderate attitudes among university students. Since good knowledge and attitude are strongly linked to successful breast cancer awareness programs, future implementation studies should target female students from non-health-related training programs for increased breast cancer screening uptake.
