Effectiveness of a Structured Educational Intervention on Breast Cancer Awareness and Screening Knowledge Among Female Undergraduate Students

Abstract

Background: Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity among women worldwide. Reducing mortality requires early discovery through knowledge and screening techniques such as breast self-examination, clinical breast examination, and mammography. Educational programs are successful in raising young women's awareness and encouraging preventative health behaviours. Aim: to assess the efficacy of a planned education campaign on female degree final-year students' awareness of and screening for breast cancer. Methods: The study employed a one-group pre-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test. The use of purposeful sampling to choose 60 female final-year degree students from particular Mangaluru degree institutes. A standardized questionnaire was used to measure knowledge both before and after the scheduled educational session. Descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and the data was analysed using chi-square tests. Results: According to the pre-test results, none of the individuals showed 38.33% had little knowledge, 61.67% had moderate knowledge, and 38.67% had strong knowledge. Following the intervention, no participant remained in the bad knowledge group, with 85% of students achieving high knowledge and 15% having moderate knowledge. From 9.85 ± 3.44 in the pre-test to 19.60 ± 2.38 The mean knowledge score increased significantly in the post-test (p = 0.001). Pre-test knowledge scores were found to be significantly correlated with factors including age and previous exposure to breast cancer information. Conclusion: The planned educational effort was successful in raising awareness of and increasing screening for breast cancer. Incorporating structured educational interventions in academic settings can enhance early detection awareness and promote preventive practices among young women.