Breast self-exams by teenagers: outcome of a teaching program

Cancer Nurs. 2001 Aug;24(4):315-9. doi: 10.1097/00002820-200108000-00013.

Abstract

Teaching breast self-care as breast changes occur in the adolescent girl can influence positive behaviors such as performing breast self-examinations and seeking regular professional breast examinations. Health promotion behaviors often are taught in high school, but little research has been performed on teaching breast health in a high school setting. Therefore, this descriptive study aimed to identify the beliefs, knowledge, and practices of breast self-examination in adolescent girls. A pre- and posttest design was used to determine whether a teaching program would change beliefs, knowledge, and practices of breast self-examination. The results of this study demonstrate that a one-time intervention can be successful in increasing breast self-examination practice and the knowledge of breast self-examination and cancer in adolescents. Before the intervention, approximately 66% of students said they never examined their breasts, and only 3% performed breast self-examination monthly. In 1 month after teaching, these percentages changed appreciably, with 32% of students reporting that they never practiced breast self-examination and 23% reporting that they practiced breast self-examination monthly.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adolescent Health Services*
  • Breast Neoplasms / nursing
  • Breast Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Breast Self-Examination / statistics & numerical data*
  • Female
  • Health Education*
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
  • Humans
  • Ohio
  • Oncology Nursing
  • Program Evaluation*
  • School Nursing
  • Surveys and Questionnaires