Breast Self-Examination As Perceived By North Private College Of Nursing Female Students: Arar City

Abstract

Background Breast Self-Examination (BSE) is an essential screening method for detecting breast abnormalities. Regular self-examination helps women become familiar with the normal appearance and feel of their breasts, enabling them to notice any changes or unusual signs over time. Objectives This study aimed to assess the knowledge and practices of female students regarding breast self-examination. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive design was adopted, recruiting 290 female nursing students from North Private College of Nursing in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The participants completed a self-developed tool to assess demographic characteristics, knowledge, and self-reported practices about breast self-examination. Results A total of 77.6% of the female nursing students exhibited unsatisfactory knowledge and more than half reported unsatisfactory practices regarding BSE. The most commonly cited reason for not performing breast self-examination was a lack of knowledge on how to properly apply it. Furthermore, a highly significant positive correlation was found between the students' overall knowledge and their reported BSE practices (p = 0.0001), indicating that students with better knowledge were more likely to practice BSE. Additionally, a significant relationship was observed between students' knowledge of BSE and the level of their mothers' education, suggesting that maternal education may influence the students' understanding of BSE. Conclusion A comprehensive educational program should be developed at the community level to raise awareness and promote effective breast self-examination practices among female nursing students in Saudi Arabia. Additionally, further large-scale studies are required to confirm and validate the findings of this research.