ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE OF SELF BREAST EXAMINATION AMONG UNDERGRADUATES IN ACHIEVERS UNIVERSITY, OWO

Breast self-examination is a key strategy to early detection of breast cancer and subsequently critical for effective treatment and cure of the disease. The primary objective of the study was to assess knowledge and practice of self-breast examination among undergraduates in Achievers University, Owo. A descriptive design and simple random sampling technique was used for this study. The Health Belief Model by Rosenstock was the theoretical framework for the study. Data was collected using a self-structured questionnaire and was analyzed using frequency count, percentages and bar charts respectively. Ethical consideration was obtained as required. The study findings showed that majority of the respondents 234(80.7%) had adequate knowledge of BSE, their sources of information however differed from each other. Also, majority 245(84.5%) of the respondents had adequate practice of BSE, while 46(15.5%) had inadequate practice. Also, the study revealed a number of factors affecting the practice of self-breast examination among respondents, and this includes lack of privacy in the hostel 246(84.8%), no family history of breast cancer 218(75.2%), fear of finding a breast lump 204(70.3%), insufficient knowledge on the techniques of BSE 166(57.2%), forgetfulness 257(88.6%), I don't consider it important 112(38.6%), academic workload/inadequate time 201(69.3%), and feeling uncomfortable performing BSE 50(17.2%). The researcher concluded that there is a significant association between the between knowledge and practice of self-breast examination among undergraduates (X2 Cal = 222.573 > X2 Crit. = 3.841, at df 1, p=0.000). Based on the findings of the study, the researcher recommends that undergraduates should be properly taught on the techniques for performing self-breast examination; and hospitals should introduce free periods of routine clinical breast examination for some ladies who do not know how to properly carry out the procedure