Awareness about Breast Cancer and Breast Self-Examination among Female Students at the University of Sharjah: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is a leading cause of mortality among women in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).<br />Many young women in the UAE have poor knowledge about breast cancer screening, including risk factors and<br />warning signs/symptoms. We investigated awareness about breast cancer and breast self-examination (BSE) as a<br />screening tool among female students at the University of Sharjah, UAE. Methods: This study used a cross sectional<br />survey design. Participants were 241 undergraduate female students (aged ≥18 years) from three University of Sharjah<br />campuses. Data were collected from March to April 2017 using a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire<br />covered: sociodemographic characteristics; knowledge about breast cancer, risk factors, and warning signs/symptoms;<br />and knowledge and practice of BSE. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-square tests.<br />Results: About 38.6% of participants were from the Medical campus, 37.3% were from the Women's campus, and<br />24% were from the Fine Arts and Design campus. Most (99%) participants had heard of breast cancer. About 50% were<br />knowledgeable about the risk factors, but only 38% were knowledgeable about warning signs/symptoms. The most<br />commonly identified risk factors were family and personal histories of breast cancer, and the most commonly identified<br />warning sign/symptom was breast lump. There was a significant association between knowledge about risk factors<br />and campus type. Participants from the Medical campus were more knowledgeable about risk factors than participants<br />from the other two campuses. Overall, 68.5% of participants had heard of BSE, but few participants actually performed<br />BSE. Reasons for not performing BSE included “forgetting" and “not knowing how." Conclusions: Although most<br />participants were aware of breast cancer, knowledge about risk factors and warning signs/symptoms was relatively<br />poor. Knowledge about performing BSE was particularly low. This highlights the importance of increasing awareness<br />about breast cancer and BSE among young women in the UAE.