Health Beliefs and Breast Self-Examination among Undergraduate Female Students in Public Universities in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Abstract

<b>Background:</b> Breast cancer is the most frequently occurring cancer in women and the most common causeof cancer death worldwide. Materials and <br/><b>Methods</b>: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 792 femaleundergraduate students in public universities in Klang Valley, Malaysia, from January to April 2011. Data werecollected using a validated questionnaire developed for this study. <br/><b>Results</b>: The mean age of respondents was21.7±1.2 years. Most of them were single (96.8%), Malay (91.9%) and 150 (19.6%) claimed they had practicedBSE. There was a significant differences between performers and non-performers correlated to age, maritalstatus, check breast by doctor, and being trained about BSE. Performers had lower mean scores for perceivedbarriers and susceptibility and higher mean score for confidence. Stepwise logistic regression analysis yieldedfour significant predictor variables. <br/><b>Conclusions</b>: Overall our findings indicate that the practice of BSE whileperceived as being important is not frequently practiced among female in Malaysia. Targeted education shouldbe implemented to improve early detection of breast cancer.