Determining the Factors that Affect Breast Cancer and Self Breast Examination Beliefs of Turkish Nurses in Academia

Abstract

Purpose: To define factors that affect the performance status of BSE and confidence of student nurses.Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: This descriptive study was conducted in the academic year 2010-2011 in a nursing facultyin İzmir, Turkey. “Informative data form” and “Champion’s Revised Health Belief Model Scale (CHBMS)”were used as data collection forms. <br/><b>Results</b>: The mean age of the participant nurses was 21.0±1.49. The meanCHMS scores of the student nurses were as follows: perceived susceptibility regarding breast cancer, 7.78±2.46;perceived seriousness regarding breast cancer, 22.4±5.43; perceived benefit regarding BSE application, 20.5±4.45;perceived barriers regarding BSE application, 23.8±7.13; perceived confidence regarding BSE application,36.3±7.78; the mean score of health motivation sub-scale, 25.7±4.59; and mean of the total score of the scale,36.5±15.01. <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: The outcomes obtained in this study indicated the importance of better education tostudent nurses, who have a key role in teaching preventive health behaviour including BSE to society and otheruniversity students as colleagues.