Impact of Awareness Session on Assessment of Breast Self-Examination among Female University Students and Faculty Members

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is diagnosed most often in women around the globe and late detection in areas with fewer resources leads to a high number of deaths. Despite being convenient to do and costing little, BSE is underused among even those who have access to information. Negative attitudes, unclear knowledge and fear of the disease make BSE less likely to be used. Aim: To evaluate the impact of a structured awareness session on BSE knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) among female university students and faculty members. Methods: Researchers carried out a quasi-experimental pre-post intervention study at Iqra University in Pakistan. Two hundred and fifty people (235 students and 15 faculty) filled out pre-intervention questionnaires on their knowledge of BSE. For 30–60 minutes, participants received an educational session with visuals, practical demonstrations and discussions. Post-intervention KAP was measured using the same tool. Each numerical variable was tested by paired t-tests using SPSS v27 (statistical significance was set to p < 0.05). Results: Knowledge: Overall scores increased from 18.55 ± 3.82 to 36.40 ± 2.76. Practice: Pre-intervention, only 22.8% performed BSE; post-intervention, >90% understood techniques (e.g., visual inspection: 38.4% to 91.2%). Awareness: Screening knowledge rose from 36.8% to 92.8%. Key barriers pre-intervention included lack of knowledge (59.2%) and fear of results (34.4%). Significant improvements (P < 0.001) were observed across all domains: Conclusion: Sessions designed to raise awareness about BSE improve what university students know about the subject. It is important to add structured BSE education to health programs at institutions to encourage early detection and reduce the incidence of breast cancer.

Keywords: Breast self-examination, Awareness session, Knowledge-attitude-practice, Early detection, University students, Faculty members