Factors related to breast self – examination practice among midwifery student in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

Breast self-examination is first step that helps to early detect breast abnormalities; however, the incidence to practice it remains very low in Vietnam. This study aimed to determine the rate of breast self-examination practice and determine the factors related to its practice among midwifery students. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 270 midwife students with self-administrated questionnaires. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were used to analyze the data. About 64.3% of the midwifery students had ever practice of breast self-examination. Nearly half of midwifery students had a knowledge of breast cancer, and 70.3% of them had a positive attitude towards breast self-examination. There were significant correlations between knowledge, attitude, personal history of breast disease, and breast self-examination practice (r=.24, p<.001; r=.20, p<.01; rpb=.12, p<.05; respectively). The results from this study highlighted the importance of knowledge of breast cancer and attitude toward breast self-examination; it would lead to increase practice of breast self-examination.