AUTHOR=Wondmu Kumlachew Solomon , Tessema Mekuanint Taddele , Degu Genet , Mihiret Getachew Tilaye , Sinshaw Melkam Tesfaye 

TITLE=Effect of breast cancer education based on the health belief model on knowledge, health belief, and breast self-examination among female students of Debre Markos University, Northwest Ethiopia, in 2021

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2022

YEAR=2022

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.1034183

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2022.1034183

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=Background: Breast cancer is the primary cause of mortality in females around the world and second common cancer after lung cancer in both sexes. Even if, socio-cultural factors contribute to the development, maintenance, and change of health behavior; knowledge, attitudes, and motivation are important individual determinants of health behavior change. Therefore this study aims to evaluate the effect of health belief model based breast cancer education on knowledge, health belief, and breast self-examination among female students of Debre Markos University, Ethiopia, 2021.
Methods: A quasi experimental study was conducted on 210 samples selected by simple random sampling, and assigned to intervention and control group based their cluster.  Data was collected by self-administration questioner before and after intervention; then entered into Epi data version 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 25. Dependent and independent t test was used. Difference in difference was used to assess the effect of the intervention.
 Results:  A statistically significant differences were observed between group’s knowledge about breast cancer after educational intervention; monthly breast self-examination practice changes from 20.0% to 57.58 and 17.14% to 24.27% in intervention and control groups respectively and average scores of all heath belief model constructs show a statistically significant change in the intervention t group relative to controls after intervention.  Overall knowledge increased by 6.24, perceived susceptibility 4.67, perceived seriousness 6.93, benefit of breast self-examination 3.51, self-efficacy 9.45, cues for action 2.74, barriers of breast self-examination  decreased by 3.61 and breast self - examination increase 2.26  due to educational intervention. 
Conclusion: The health belief model based education is an effective and efficient way to enhance student’s breast self-examination and promote knowledge and health beliefs about breast cancer. Based on the finding of this study implementing health belief model-based educational intervention about breast cancer at different phases of life is important to battle the disease.