Health Beliefs of Nursing Faculty Students about Breast Cancer and Self Breast Examination

Background: Breast cancer usually shows a slow development rate and when it is recognized in early stages very successful treatment results can be achieved. This research was planned to research the health beliefs of nursing faculty students about breast cancer and breast self-examination (BSE). Materials and
Methods: The first class students of nursing faculty formed the basis for this descriptive research (N=347). Sample selection was not made and all female students who wanted to participate voluntarily in the research during March-May of 2014 were included (n=331).
Results: It was determined that 85.5% of students had knowledge about cancer, 79.5 % knew of breast cancer, and 65.3% were aware of how BSE is performed. According to the responses of students to the scale of the health belief model that is used to determine the health beliefs of students, item-point averages of trust and obstacle sub-dimensions were high.
Conclusions: It is determined that more than half of students had knowledge about breast cancer and breast self-examination. Their health beliefs were affected by trust and obstacle perceptions, knowledge level about cancer, and awareness about how BSE is done. These factors should be considered in planning trainings that will be given to students. Social responsibility projects should have designed to create the awareness that cancer is a treatable disease.