Information for Breast Cancer Prevention Among Females in Nigeria: A Study of Patients in Two Teaching Hospitals

Abstract

This article examines the role of information provision and utilization in preventing cancer of the breast among females in Nigeria. The study was on patients at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) and Enugu State University of Science and Technology Teaching Hospital (ESUTH), all located in southeast Nigeria. The population consisted of 30 patients from the two teaching hospitals. A questionnaire was used for data collection. Twenty-five of the 30 patients (83.3%) properly completed and returned the questionnaire. Data collected were analyzed using percentages, frequencies, and mean scores. The findings show that the majority (36%) of the affected patients were young adults. Consumption of alcohol, smoking of cigarettes, and lack of physical exercise were among the factors responsible for the development of the disease. Newspapers, TV/radio programs, libraries, and the Internet were available and accessible to the respondents. However, there were scant programs on breast cancer from available TV and radio stations, and medical libraries do not allow non-university members access to resources. Creation of awareness through information dissemination on the disease has such advantages as early knowledge of the basic symptoms, presentation, and medication with positive results.

KEYWORDS:

• breast cancer
• females
• information
• Nigeria
• patients’ teaching hospitals
• prevention