Knowledge, Attitude and Practice towards Breast cancer and Breast cancer screening among female Health Professionals in Addis Ababa
Creators: name: W/Tsadik, Selamawit
Publisher: name: National Academic Digital Repository of Ethiopia
Year: 2016

description: Introduction Breast cancer is the most common cancer in most part of Africa and in Ethiopia as well. Provider's recommendation about breast cancer screening is basic for initiating clients to screen for breast cancer. Previous studies conducted among health professionals working in governmental hospitals showed that health care providers' knowledge about breast cancer and breast cancer screening was satisfactory. To provide a more representative sample of primary healthcare providers, who are the first in contact with clients making them essential to early diagnose breast cancer. Objective The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge attitude and practice of breast cancer and breast cancer screening among female health professionals working in primary health care centers of Addis Ababa Ethiopia. Methodology This study is conducted among female health professionals working in twenty one health centres of Addis Ababa using institution based cross sectional study design from March-April 2016. Data was collected using interview based questionnaire to evaluate socio-demographic status, knowledge of risk factors, signs and symptoms, and screening methods, attitude towards breast cancer screening and practices of breast cancer screening methods. Which was analyzed using SPSS. Epi-data version 3.1 was applied for data entry and SPSS version 20 was used for analysis of the quantitative data as well descriptive statistics, numerical summary measures, frequencies, proportions, distributions was used to check for normality and also diagrams for describing the study population in relation to relevant variables. Then cross tabulation of each independent variable with the dependent variable with 95% confidence interval was used. Statistical significance was declared at p-value 0.05 and the predictors of outcome variable was identified accordingly. Those variables associated at bivariate logistic regression with significance level ix (p=0.2) were entered into multiple logistic regression to identify important determinants by controlling possible confounding effect. Result All of the participants have heard about breast cancer. 127(30.3%) of them are knowledgeable, two hundred thirty four (55.8%) of the participants had positive attitude towards breast cancer and breast cancer screening. Among those who heard about breast cancer 298 (71.1%) mentioned that they self examine their breast at list once in their life time, 35 (8.4%) said they had undergone breast examination by clinicians and only eleven mentioned that they had mammographic screening. Age and Level of education were significantly associated with Knowledge of the FHP towards breast cancer and breast cancer screening. Level of education, marital status and knowledge were significantly associated with attitude after controlling possible confounding factors. Conclusion and Recommendation This study has revealed that the knowledge towards breast cancer and breast cancer screening was low among FHP working in primary health care centers of Addis Ababa. Regular practices of breast cancer screening as per the standard was also lower among FHP. In order to solve this issue standard screening guide line and trainings needs to be prepared and implemented to increase awareness of health professionals.