Breast self examination among secondary school teachers in South-South, Nigeria: A survey of perception and practice

Breast cancer continues to claim the lives of hundreds of women all over the world inspite of the existence of simple to perform procedures that could ensure the early detection of breast changes. The study aimed to assess the practice and perceptions towards breast self examination (BSE) among secondary school teachers in Benin City. A cross-sectional study was conducted in July, 2010 among 300 female secondary school teachers in a selected local government area in Benin. An interviewer administered structured English language questionnaire was used for data collection. Data analysis was done using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) with level of significance set as p < 0.05. All (100.0%) had heard of BSE, 79.3% had ever practised (BSE), of which19% performed BSE monthly and 6% knew all steps in the procedure of BSE. Main source of information was the broadcast media. Ignorance of the usefulness of BSE was the most common reason given for not doing BSE. Nonetheless, attitude towards BSE was good for 80% of respondents. There is need for aggressive awareness campaigns among secondary school teachers that will focus on filling knowledge gaps and providing opportunities for guided practice. Key words: Breast cancer, breast self- examination, practice, screening, teachers.