Sociology, Department of

 

ORCID IDs

Edet 0000-0001-5389-0738

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

7-2020

Citation

International Research Journal of Social Sciences (July 2020) 9(3): 20-27

Comments

Open access material

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the awareness of rural women on breast cancer and its screening methods in Southwest Nigeria. Descriptive cross-sectional survey design with the aid of a semi-structured questionnaire was used to generate data among 422 rural women in selected communities in Egbeda local government area of Ibadan. The qualitative data was generated through in-depth interviews among rural women and key informant interviews among health workers in the communities. The study revealed that only 63.7% were aware of breast cancer screening methods compared to 31.6% who were not aware. The commonly known screening method among women in the study was breast self-examination (66.7%). Some believed that breast cancer is used as a form of spiritual attack to punish women. Knowledge of breast cancer etiology was also low. The major source of information on breast cancer was radio. The study concluded that health education and programs targeting rural women should be adopted in order to increase their awareness of breast cancer.

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