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Article
Breast Cancer Awareness Among Zayed University Female Students
Arab Journal of Nutrition and Exercise (AJNE)
  • Shaima K. AlBlooshi
  • Lina T. Al Kury
  • Pavlos Malindretos
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-28-2017
Abstract

Background/Aim : Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among female population worldwide. In the United Arab Emirates, breast cancer accounts for 31-43% of all cancer types. Recently, breast cancer incidence has declined as a result of development of better diagnostic techniques. Good knowledge and awareness about early detection of signs and symptoms of the disease are the most important keys for reducing morbidity and mortality. This study aims to evaluate the level of awareness about the risk factors of breast cancer, as well as, the knowledge about screening methods among female students at Zayed University in Abu Dhabi. Method: Â A random cross-sectional survey was carried to evaluate the level of awareness about breast cancer among female students at Zayed University. A total of 100 females aged 18"“31 from different colleges were included in the study. Data were analyzed using SPSS 21 program. Chi- square test was used together with Fisher's exact test, as appropriate. P value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The results show that there is a lack of knowledge and awareness about the risk factors for breast cancer. Only 12% of the participants knew that physical inactivity is a risk factor. However, 29% of the participants knew that obesity is a risk factor. Knowledge about screening methods was poor and varied according to the marital and educational status of the students. Only 17% of the total participants have done breast self-examination. Single women had less frequently performed breast self-examination compared to married women Although 40% of the participants knew about ultra sound, only 22% of the students did have the knowledge about the proper age of mammogram screening. Conclusion: The results point to the lack of awareness among female students about breast cancer, the risk factors and screening methods. Therefore, effective educational programs are required to improve the knowledge level of university students regarding breast cancer and related practices.

Publisher
Knowledge E
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
Indexed in Scopus
No
Open Access
Yes
Open Access Type
Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series
Citation Information
Shaima K. AlBlooshi, Lina T. Al Kury and Pavlos Malindretos. "Breast Cancer Awareness Among Zayed University Female Students" Arab Journal of Nutrition and Exercise (AJNE) Vol. 2 (2017) p. 160 - 169 ISSN: <a href="https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/id/publication/issn/2518-6590" target="_blank">2518-6590</a>
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/lina-alkury/18/