Tab. IV.
Attitudes to Breast Self-Examination (BSE) among female senior secondary school students in State Government-owned schools of Otuocha Educational Zone, Anambra State, Nigeria.
| S/N | Description (Question 9; Part 3 of the Questionnaire) |
Agree (%) |
Unsure (%) |
Disagree (%) |
Total scores** (average: 1 to 3) |
Correct scores* (% of average) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I am healthy and do not need to examine my breasts (n = 319) | 119 (37.3) | 68 (21.3) | 132 (41.4)* | 651 (2.04) | 396 (60.8) |
| 2 | Examining my breasts by myself is important and necessary (n = 317) | 216 (68.1)* | 55 (17.4) | 46 (14.5) | 804 (2.54) | 648 (80.6) |
| 3 | I am not well informed on how to examine my breasts (n = 318) | 148 (46.5) | 65 (20.4) | 105 (33.0) | NB: This item was not scored and not part of the calculations | |
| 4 | I feel shy and embarrassed about examining my breasts by myself (n = 318) | 61 (19.2) | 54 (17.0) | 203 (63.8)* | 778 (2.45) | 609 (78.3) |
| 5 | Examining my breasts by myself will be painful (n = 314) | 57 (18.2) | 95 (30.3) | 162 (51.6)* | 733 (2.33) | 486 (66.3) |
| 6 | I am afraid that examining my breasts might reveal breast cancer (n = 314) | 61 (19.4) | 88 (28.0) | 165 (52.5)* | 732 (2.33) | 495 (67.6) |
| 7 | Examining my breasts by myself will waste a lot of my time (n = 311) | 54 (17.0) | 79 (24.9) | 184 (58.0)* | 764 (2.41) | 552 (72.3) |
| 8 | Examining my breasts by myself is a dirty practice and against my values or beliefs (n = 318) |
56 (17.6) | 69 (21.7) | 193 (60.7)* | 773 (2.43) | 579 (74.9) |
| 9 | I will not like to touch my breasts in the way required for me to examine it (n = 318) |
76 (23.9) | 74 (23.3) | 168 (52.8)* | 728 (2.29) | 504 (69.2) |
| 10 | If I find a suspicious lump while examining my breasts, I will see a medical doctor rather than a traditional healer (n = 316) |
230 (72.8)* | 44 (13.9) | 42 (13.3) | 820 (2.59) | 690 (83.8) |
| Grand totals for bse attitude | 6,738 (2.19) | 4,959 (73.6) | ||||
-**Total scores are derived by the sum of the following: Correct responses (marked with *; multiply by 3) + Unsure (multiply by 2) + Incorrect (multiply by 1)
-Result Interpretation: ≥ 70% = Excellent knowledge; ≥ 50 to < 70% = Moderate knowledge; < 50% = Poor knowledge