Abstract
Objectives: The objectives of this study are to assess women's awareness on breast cancer; and
their awareness, attitudes, and barriers to practice of breast self-examination (BSE).
Methodology: This cross-sectional study was conducted from May 1, 2015 to June 30, 2015, involving
302 women between 18 and 65 years of age attending the Outpatient Department of Central
Referral Hospital, Gangtok. Face-to-face semi-structured questionnaire-based interview
was conducted among the participant women, after taking their written consent. Results: Three-fourths of the participants were aware of breast cancer. Eighty percent of
the women who had heard about breast cancer were not aware of its risk factors. Forty-six
percent of the participants were aware of BSE. Most common source of knowledge was
from health professionals. Of the 138 women who were aware of BSE, 41.3% ever practiced
BSE. Majority had started BSE between 21 and 45 years of age. Thirty-seven percent
of the participants practiced BSE once in a year. Working women and students were
found to be twice more likely to practice BSE compared to homemakers. Similarly, women
belonging to lower socioeconomic status were 70% less likely to practice BSE than
women of affluent class. Conclusions: Knowledge of the breast cancer and BSE practices is poor among indexed Sikkimese
reproductive women attending tertiary hospital of Sikkim. There is an urgent need
for information on the airwaves and in print, and for education at health centers
on warning symptoms of breast cancer and various methods of screening for breast cancer
including BSE.
Keywords
Breast cancer - breast self-examination - knowledge - screening
