Awareness of Breast Self-Examination: Information, Attitude, and Practice among Female in Chennai City, India

Abstract

Now a days, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in December 2020 states that Breast cancer is the number one common cancer around the world and it has surpassed lung cancer occurrence. WHO and IARC in 2020 have decided to join hands in eradicating or minimising deaths caused due to breast cancer by creating an awareness of breast health, early diagnosis and providing quality care to everyone in need. The occurrence of cancer has not gone down but doubled in the last 20 years. It was estimated to be 10 million in 2000 but has raised to an alarming 19.3 million in 2020. Currently it is projected that 20% of the world population will develop cancer. It is an utmost significant fact that Breast among other cancers can be cured if detected well in advance. The present study aimed to analyse the awareness about self- examination to find out the breast cancer among the female. The participants were patients and their relatives in a government hospital (n=100). Only, 24% of them had showed adequate knowledge on self-examination and 51% having known about it but, not on practicing. The remaining, 25% of even did not know about such a method. This study showed that the important of creating awareness among women, especially, on the illiterates.