OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of BrAware Apps in increasing the knowledge of BC risk factors, awareness of warning signs and confidence in breast self-examination (BSE) among women in northeast peninsular Malaysia.
METHODS: A quasi-experimental pre and post-test research design were conducted with 41 women participants in Kelantan, Malaysia, before and after using the BrAware apps. Participants were given an online, adapted Breast Cancer Awareness Measure questionnaire. Post-test was 2 months after using the BrAware apps. Comparison using paired T-tests were conducted to evaluate the change in knowledge of risk factors, warning signs awareness and confidence level for BSE.
RESULTS: The mean age of women was 39.71(SD = 8.80). The participants' mean knowledge score of BC warning signs differs before using BrAware (mean 70.62, SD 11.74) and after using the BrAware app (mean 79.83, SD 10.15) at the <0.001 level of significance.
CONCLUSIONS: The BrAware mobile app had a positive effect in increasing the women's knowledge of risk factors of BC, warning signs awareness and confidence level for BSE. It can be concluded that the mobile app may be an adjunct in educating women on BC.
METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was carried out for female 90 medical and 80 nursing students in Oman in November 2019. A pre-test questionnaire was given before the training program and a post-test questionnaire was administered after the training program. Students’ knowledge, attitude, and skills regarding breast cancer and breast self-examination were compared. Scores for skills of practicing breast self-examination were compared between lecture and activity group and lecture-only group.
RESULTS: Pre-test and post-test data were collected from 170 female students. Significant improvements were observed in the post-test scores for students’ knowledge, attitude, and skills after the intervention (P<0.001). The mean scores for skills of practicing breast self-examination after the lecture and the activity were higher than those obtained after the lecture only (P=0.014 for medical students and P=0.016 for nursing students).
CONCLUSION: An educational training program on breast cancer and breast self-examination with an emphasis on skills can motivate participants to perform breast self-examination regularly, and may therefore help students to train other women to perform breast self-examination for the early detection of breast cancer.