Background: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in many parts of
Africa. Facilities for screening and early detection are extremely limited yet early
diagnosis improves survival. This study explored the practice of Breast Self Examination
among female university students as a means of screening and early detection in a low
resources environment.
Subjects and Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study at a Sub Saharan university. A
call for volunteers to the study was made; a pretested standardised questionnaire was
used for data collection. The process was limited to an interview and a physical
examination. IRB approval was granted before the study began.
Results: A total of 320 participants volunteered, 314 were recruited. The majority were
aged between 21 and 25. The range was between 19 to 31 years. There was a high
awareness of Breast Self Examination (BSE) of 81.5%, 30% had ever performed a BSE, 14
% performed it regularly, 8% knew the correct monthly timing, the technique was
accurately demonstrated by 1% of participants. 4.8 were found to have breast lumps.
Conclusion: There is a likelihood of most young women in the country practicing BSE
inadequately. There is a need for widespread BSE campaigns emphasizing the correct
technique and a need to evaluate BSE efficacy. The prevalence of breast lumps among
young women attending this university was comparable to other community prevalence
studies in this age group.
