Awareness toward breast cancer and practice of breast self-examination among Iraqi female students at faculty of basic education - Research findings and implications

Sep 24, 2026

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Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths among women, accounting for 27% of all malignancies in women. A cross-sectional study evaluated awareness and practices of breast self-examination (BSE) among 420 Iraqi undergraduate students at the Faculty of Basic Education, University of Tikrit, using online Google Forms. Most respondents reported breast cancer knowledge (70.2%), while BSE awareness was limited (33.2%). Significant associations were found between BSE practice and breast cancer (P = 0.01).

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Breast cancer burden and risk factors

Importance of early detection and screening

Role of breast self-examination (BSE)

ORiginAl ARticle Awareness toward breast cancer and practice of breast self‑examination among Iraqi female students at faculty of basic education Nahed Ahmed Hassan Department of Community and Family Medicine, Tikrit University College of Medicine, Tikrit, Iraq J. Adv. Pharm. Technol. Res. Abstract The most prevalent cancer and the one with the highest fatality rate is breast cancer, accounting for 27% of all malignancies in women and ranking one among all cancers in women. It appears that breast cancer affects both developed and developing nations. Hence, raising public awareness of breast malignancy prevention strategies is crucial in lowering the morbidity and mortality associated with the disease. The awareness and practices of female undergraduate students at Tikrit University regarding breast self‑examination (BSE) were evaluated in this study. This cross‑sectional investigation was performed on 420 Iraqi undergraduate scholars at the Faculty of Basic Education, University of Tikrit. The students were polled online using a self‑administrated Google Forms that was disseminated through social media. Microsoft Office Excel and SPSS version 22 were used to analyze the data that had been gathered. The majority of responders (70.2%) claimed to be knowledgeable about breast cancer. Out of the participants, around 31.8% expressed the belief that a positive family history, followed by obesity 18.9% was responsible for its occurrence. BSE as a technique to find breast cancer early was only known by 33.2% of individuals who were aware of breast cancer. The significant relationships between BSE practice and breast cancer were demonstrated (P = 0.01). Timely identification and treatment of breast cancer potentially lead to improved outcomes and complete recovery when individuals promptly report signs and symptoms. By promoting awareness of breast cancer and conducting BSE, it is possible to minimize the financial burden of the treatment plan and mitigate the impact of synonyms. Keywords: Awareness, breast cancer, breast self‑examination, knowledge, risk factors, symptoms Address for correspondence: Dr. Nahed Ahmed Hassan, Tikrit University College of Medicine, Tikrit, Iraq. E‑mail: [nahidahmed@tu.edu.iq](nahidahmed@tu.edu.iq) Submitted: 17-May-2023 Accepted: 09-Jun-2023 Revised: 06-Jun-2023 Published: 28-Jul-2023 | Access this article online | | | --- | --- | | Quick Response Code: | Website:
[www.japtr.org](www.japtr.org) | | | | | | DOI:
10.4103/japtr.japtr_281_23 | INTRODUCTION Breast cancer stands as the most widespread illness among women, providing for 23% of all malignancies in females worldwide. Moreover, it is the main reason for cancer-related fatalities in lower-income nations as reported by SPER market research.[1,2] Each year, breast cancer claims This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution‑NonCommercial‑ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non‑commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms. For reprints [contact:](contact: WKHLRPMedknow_reprints@wolterskluwer.com)[ WKHLRPMedknow_reprints@wolterskluwer.com](contact: WKHLRPMedknow_reprints@wolterskluwer.com) How to cite this article: Hassan NA. Awareness toward breast cancer and practice of breast self-examination among Iraqi female students at faculty of basic education. J Adv Pharm Technol Res 2023;14:248-52 . 248 © 2023 Journal of Advanced Pharmaceutical Technology & Research | Published by Wolters Kluwer-Medknow lives of numerous women worldwide, impacting countries across various technological spectrums. [3] According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 627,000 female cancer deaths were attributed to breast carcinoma in 2018. This number reflects 15% of all fatal cancer cases among women.[4] The predominant risk factors of br

FAQs

What was the purpose of the study among Iraqi female undergraduate students?

To evaluate students' awareness and practices regarding breast self-examination (BSE) and how these relate to breast cancer.

How many students participated, and how were data collected?

The study involved 420 undergraduate students. Data were collected online through a self-administered Google Forms distributed via social media.

What proportion of students knew about breast self-examination, and what was the key finding?

Only 33.2% of those aware of breast cancer knew BSE. The study found significant relationships between BSE practice and breast cancer (P = 0.01).

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by Rizky