Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Female Teachers Related to Breast Cancer and Breast Examination in Southern Turkey

SUMMARY: BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of female teachers related to breast cancer in Southern Turkey. MATERIALS AND METHODS: There are almost 5,000 female teachers working in Hatay, Turkey, and we aimed to reach 10% of this population. Our questionnaire consisted of 14 questions about personal information, 14 questions about knowledge related to breast cancer, and 14 questions about attitudes and behaviors of teachers. RESULTS: In all, 490 female teachers participated in the study. The mean age was 34.6 years, and most were married (77.1%). 62.9% of participants reported to have insufficient knowledge about breast cancer. The source of information was newspaper/TV in 84.6%, and medical health care providers in 22.8%. While all of the participants think that early diagnosis of breast cancer is important; 19% think personal hygiene is protective against breast cancer. Among all the participants, 53.7% have never practiced breast self-examination (BSE). Of those who practice BSE; 80.6% practice it as they remember, 12.5% practice it once a month. 38.4% of these learned BSE from a doctor, and 38.0% from TV. The reason for not practicing BSE was underestimation in 46.7% and lack of knowledge in 37.9%. 152 participants had a clinical breast examination (CBE) done, and 145 of these had it done by an expert doctor. A total of 86 participants had undergone mammography, while 67 of the over-40-year-old group had not. CONCLUSION: 3/5 of the female teachers think that they do not have enough knowledge related to breast cancer. More than half of them do not practice BSE, and only 12.5% of them practice BSE regularly.