A Different Approach to Breast Self-Examination Training: Family Training

Abstract

Background. Breast self-examination (BSE) is an effective, cost-free, early diagnosis method that enables women to take responsibility for their own health in the early diagnosis of breast cancer, which is the most common cause of death in women. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of BSE training given by female nursing students to their mothers and sisters on their BSE behavior and self-esteem. Materials and Methods. This study is of one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. It was carried out at the Faculty of Health Sciences of Erzincan University in Turkey between December 2019 and May 2020. The universe of the study consisted of 140 third- and fourth-year female students over the age of 18 enrolled in the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Erzincan University, Turkey. The total number of mothers and sisters in the study sample was 126. The data were collected in two stages, before and one month after family training. IBM SPSS Statistics 22 software package was used for statistical data analysis. The percentage, mean, standard deviation, and Student’s t-test were used for statistical processing. The p-value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all tests. Results. The knowledge level of study participants about breast cancer and BSE was analyzed, and the source of their knowledge was assessed. Applying family training approach showed a significant increase in BSE knowledge level of participants one month after training. It was accompanied by increasing BSE skills and self-esteem levels (according to the mean values of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale). Conclusions. Training for family members is an effective method to increase women' s knowledge and skills in BSE. In addition, BSE training enabled female students and their families to participate in BSE practice.