Knowledge of Female Undergraduate Students on Breast Cancer and Breast Self-examination in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Background: In Malaysia, breast cancer is the first cancer among females regardness of race. Aim: The purposeof this study was to identify the knowledge and BSE practice among undergraduate female students at fourpublic universities in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Materials and
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conductedamong 820 undergraduate female students using a self-administered questionnaire covering socio-demographicdata, knowledge of breast cancer and BSE practice.
Results: The mean age of the respondents was 21.7±1.2years. The majority of them were single (96.8%), Malay (91.9%) and 16.5% of respondents had a family historyof breast cancer. This study showed low level of knowledge on breast cancer and breast self-examination amongparticipants. Only 19.6% participants were performing BSE regularly. Knowledge of breast self-examination wassignificantly associated with BSE practice (p=0.00). Also, there were significant associations between performingBSE with age, marital status and being trained by a doctor for doing BSE (p<0.05).
Conclusions: Our findingsshowed that the rate of BSE practice and knowledge of breast cancer is inadequate among young Malaysianfemales. A public health education program is essential to improve breast cancer prevention among this group.