Awareness of breast cancer risk among female university students from 24 low, middle income and emerging economy countries
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2014
TITLE AUTHOR(S): K.Peltzer, S.Pengpid
KEYWORDS: BREAST CANCER, LOW INCOME POPULATION, RISK BEHAVIOUR, STRESS, STUDENTS (COLLEGE), WOMEN
DEPARTMENT: Public Health, Societies and Belonging (HSC)
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 8529
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/2055
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/2055
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness of breast cancer risk factors among female university students in 24 low, middle income and emerging economy countries. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 10,242 undergraduate university students (mean age 20.7, SD=2.9) from 25 universities in 24 countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Using anonymous questionnaires the awareness of links between breast cancer and heredity, diet, overweight, exercise, alcohol use, smoking and stress was assessed. Results indicated that 35.4% of the women were not aware that any of these risk factors could influence breast cancer, 43.8% were aware of a genetic link, and only 12.5%, 10.9% and 10.6% correctly identified alcohol use, overweight and physical inactivity, respectively, as factors causing breast cancer. Moreover, 13.3% rated dietary fat and 11.5% fibre as influencing breast cancer; both low-fat and high-fibre diets may be weakly protective against breast cancer, and smoking (19.4%) and stress (13.5%), the most commonly chosen breast cancer lifestyle risk factors, have less clear impact on breast cancer. There were marked country differences, e.g., in regards of being aware of genetic causes of breast cancer risk in female students from Ivory Coast, India, Madagascar, Nigeria and Laos below 30% and female students from Pakistan, Singapore, Turkey, Grenada and Philippines 60 or more percent. This study provides insight in the breast cancer risk perception of young women, which can be utilized in breast cancer awareness and prevention programmes.-
Related Research Outputs:
- Knowledge, attitude and practice of breast self-examination among female university students from 24 low, middle income and emerging economy countries
- Sun protection use behaviour among university students from 25 low, middle income and emerging economy countries
- Gambling behaviour and psychosocial correlates among university students in 23 low, middle and emerging economy countries
- Oral health behaviour and social and health factors in university students from 26 low, middle and high income countries
- Depressive symptoms and social demographic, stress and health risk behaviour among university students in 26 low-, middle- and high income countries
- Breast and cervical cancer screening prevalence and associated factors among women in the South African general population
- Stress, psychological symptoms, social support and health behaviour among black students in South Africa
- HIV prevention intervention among low-income women in South Africa: a randomized control trial 1
- Sexual assault, sexual risks and gender attitudes in a community sample of South African men
- Risk factors for prevalent and incident trichomonas vaginalis among women attending three sexually transmitted disease clinics
- Randomized trial of a community-based alcohol-related HIV risk-reduction intervention for men and women in Cape Town South Africa
- Age-disparate and intergenerational sex in southern Africa: the dynamics of hypervulnerability
- Stress, substance use and sexual risk behaviors among primary care patients in Cape Town, South Africa
- Adjustment to university and academic performance among disadvantaged students in South Africa
- Integrated gender-based violence and HIV risk reduction intervention for South African men: results of a quasi-experimental field trial
- Motivating for a gendered analysis of trends within South African medical schools and the profession
- Low-income African migrant women and social exclusion in South Africa
- Female undergraduate students' constructions of success at the University of KwaZulu-Natal
- Negotiating social and gender identity: the worldwiew of women students at the University of Pretoria
- Social and academic integration of young women at the University of Cape Town