Effect of an educational intervention on knowledge and perceptions of breast self-examination among adolescent female students in Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

Knowledge and perceptions related to breast self-examination (BSE) and breast cancer are abysmal among adolescents. This study  assessed the effect of an educational intervention on knowledge and perceptions of breast self-examination among adolescent females. Quasi-experimental research design was utilized for this study among sixty female adolescent students selected through a multi-staged sampling technique from two public secondary schools in Delta State, Nigeria. There were two groups; the experimental group had BSE educational pamphlet and a control group that had a pamphlet not related to BSE. Data was collected with a validated instrument and was analyzed using SPSS version 23.0. Level of statistical significance was set at p=0.05.The mean age of the adolescents in the intervention group and the control group were 15.90±1.58years and 15.43±1.36years respectively. There was significant increase in the level of BSE knowledge of the participants between baseline and post intervention from (5.20±2.28 to 21.56±1.85, p=0.000) and there was also an increase in the level of BSE perception from (37.46 ±4.91 to 56.73±7.34, p=0.000). Additionally, there were significant differences in the levels of BSE knowledge and perceptions of the experimental group between baseline and 8 weeks post-intervention (t29= 29.44, p<0.01; t29= 19.27, p<0.01) respectively. The use of breast self-examination pamphlet is an effective tool in improving breast self-examination knowledge and perceptions among adolescent females.