Knowledge and Practice of Breast Self-Examination and Clinical Breast Examination among Women in the Buea Health District, Cameroon: A Community-Based Cross-Sectional Study
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Background
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide, accounting for 2.3 million new cases and 685,000 deaths in 2020. In Cameroon, breast cancer is the leading cancer among women, representing 34.1% of new female cancer cases. Where mammography is unaffordable and inaccessible, BSE and CBE may support early detection through breast awareness; however, uptake remains poorly characterized in Cameroon.
Methods
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between June and December 2020 among 346 women aged 21–60 years across five health areas of the Buea Health District using probability-proportionate-to-size sampling. Data were collected via a structured questionnaire covering breast cancer knowledge and BSE/CBE knowledge and practice, scored as good (≥70%) or poor (<70%). Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and multivariate binary logistic regression were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 21.0 (p < 0.05). Ethical approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Buea (reference number: 1199-04).
Results
The mean participant age was 28.3 years (SD = 7.0 years); most were single (67.0%) and university-educated (62.1%). Good breast cancer knowledge was demonstrated by only 24.0% (95% CI: 19.6%–28.4%), and good BSE/CBE knowledge by 26.9% (95% CI: 22.3%– 31.6%). Satisfactory BSE/CBE practice was observed in 22.3% (95% CI: 17.9%–26.7%). University education was independently associated with satisfactory BSE/CBE practice (AOR = 2.148; 95% CI: 1.544–2.649; p < 0.001). A significant positive association was observed between knowledge and practice (χ 2 = 73.324, p < 0.001, φ = 0.460).
Conclusion
Knowledge and practice of BSE and CBE are critically low among women in the Buea Health District. University education is a significant independent predictor of satisfactory BSE/CBE practice. Urgent, multilevel community-based breast cancer education interventions particularly targeting women with limited formal education are needed to improve early detection and reduce breast cancer mortality in Cameroon.
