“Effectiveness of Structural Teaching Programme on Knowledge and Practice Regarding Breast Self-Examination among Female Students – A Quasi Experimental Study”

Abstract

Background of the study: Breast cancer is a major public health issue in both developed and developing countries and it is the leading cause of illness and mortality in women. Every year, about 1.15 million new instances of breast cancer are diagnosed worldwide. The high death rate among women owing to breast cancer is exacerbated by late-stage diagnosis. Aim: To evaluate the impact of a teaching program on female students' knowledge of breast self-examination. Methodology: The quantitative educational and evaluative research approach was deemed the most suitable for this investigation. The research design was "A Quasi Experimental Study to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a Structured Teaching Program on Breast Self-Examination Knowledge and Practice among Female College Students in a Selected College in Panipat." Stratified random sampling was utilized to determine the sample. The data collection instruments were self-administered. Two-part multiple-choice questionnaire, with the first section containing demographic data and the second assessing knowledge of breast self-examination. The data were analyzed and hypotheses tested using descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Chi square, paired "t" test). Results: At the 0.05 level, a comparison of the pre-test mean of 8.35 and the post-test mean of 24.18 for breast self-examination knowledge was found to be statistically significant. This study demonstrates that an educational program is effective at increasing breast self-examination awareness. Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study showed that female students' understanding and practice of BSE were greatly improved because to the structured training program. Therefore, an effective health education campaign should be developed to raise awareness and encourage regular self-breast examination among college-aged women in order to detect breast cancer at an earlier stage.