Awareness about breast cancer among female population of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common female cancer worldwide including in Pakistan, where advanced stages at diagnosis, growing level, and mortality rates, make it indispensable to understand cancer knowledge in women. The current study was designed to evaluate the knowledge and awareness about breast cancer in the female population of Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan. A total of 1500 women from southern districts were interviewed from different villages, towns, cities, schools, and colleges in a span of six months from November 2017 to April 2018 using a stratified questionnaire with proportional allocation. Results showed that 45% of females had heard about breast cancer. Along with age the ratio of hearing about breast cancer increases. Education and high-income status play a major role in breast cancer awareness. Mass media and school knowledge (21.4%) were the main sources of awareness about breast cancer. It is concluded that the women’s knowledge and awareness about breast cancer, warning signs, and effective screening methods were insufficient. Hence there is an urgent need for health education programs to rectify the lack of women’s knowledge and awareness level of breast cancer.