Knowledge, attitudes and perception on breast examination among women in rural Blantyre, Malawi

Chikhwana, Horace; Shaban, Shukran; Sidira, Usemi

Knowledge, attitudes and perception on breast examination among women in rural Blantyre, Malawi

Date

2021-01-13

Authors

Chikhwana, Horace

Shaban, Shukran

Sidira, Usemi

Publisher

Kamuzu University of Health Sciences

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity of cancer among women in Africa (1). In Malawi many women present with an advanced disease as they are diagnosed with large tumors after long symptomatic period (1). Early and efficient diagnosis of breast cancer is a key feature of any strategy aimed at reducing breast cancer burden in developing countries (2). This research broadly explores the knowledge, attitudes and perception on breast examination among women in rural Blantyre. It’s not well known on what women in rural Malawi know about breast cancer and how their settings affect their perception and attitude on breast cancer. It is also not well known if the awareness campaigns for breast cancer have an impact on the rural settings This research will specifically assess the knowledge regarding self and clinical breast examination among rural women, determine association between knowledge of clinical breast examination and their willingness to go for routine screening and will describe their perceptions on the causes and prevention of breast cancer. The research will use a quantitative cross-sectional study. The sample size of 378 women will be selected using convenience sampling approach. The sample will be selected from women aged between 35 -65 years who reside in Chileka and Lunzu. Data is to be collected using a questionnaire and presented in proportions and percentages using appropriate graphs, tables and charts. We will seek permission from College of Medicine Research and Ethics Committee (COMREC) and the village heads of Chileka and Lunzu. This study is expected to bridge the gap on the knowledge, perception and attitude on breast examination among rural women, this will help when trying to implement better outreach method to the rural areas in regard to breast cancer awareness campaigns The results will be presented on the 4th year Research dissemination Day in 2020/2021 academic year through students’ presentations. Results will also be submitted to COMREC, The Health Sciences Research Committee, College of Medicine Library, Malawi Medical Journals and The University Research and Publications Committee (URPC).