Knowledge, attitudes and practices of breast cancer screening among women in rural communities in FCT, Nigeria: A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

e13515 Background: Breast Cancer (BC) is the most frequently diagnosed cancer, and the commonest cause of cancer deaths among women in Nigeria. BC incidence is rising with an age standardized incidence rate of 54.3/100,000 in 2012. There is no nationwide BC screening program in Nigeria and majority of women are diagnosed in late stages with a resultant high mortality. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practices of women in rural communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to understand the influences of these factors on BC screening and uptake in Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2024, among consenting women aged ≥ 30 years in rural communities in the FCT, Nigeria. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to assess participants’ knowledge, attitudes and practices towards BC screening. Total scores below the mean score were categorized as poor knowledge, negative attitude and poor practices on BC screening. Data was collected and managed using the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap). Descriptive analyses was done and logistic regression was used to investigate associations between variables, adjusting for other predictor variables in the model, with a significance level set at p < 0.05. Analyses was carried out using Stata MP 18. Results: A total of 333 participants were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 39.95 (SD 9.02) years, with 199 (59.8%) being < 40 years. Less than two-thirds, 198 (59.5%) of the participants were traders, practiced Islam 203 (61%) and had up to secondary level of education 121 (36.3%). About 57% of the participants had good knowledge of BC, positive attitude (willing to accept screening) 189 (57%) and good practices (willing to seek screening) 207 (60%) of BC screening. Participants that had primary school certificate (OR = 3.87, 95%CI = 1.38-10.86), secondary school certificate (OR = 3.76, 95%CI = 1.32-10.68), tertiary school certificate (OR = 7.77, 95%CI = 2.30-26.29), belonging to Hausa tribe (OR = 2.95, 95%CI = 1.02-8.52) and belonging to Igbo tribe (OR = 4.62, 95%CI = 1.26-17.03) were more likely to have good knowledge of BC screening. Participants not aware of BC in their family history (OR = 0.22, 95% CI: 0.05–0.93) were less likely to have a positive attitude toward BC screening. Participants that had an average income of ≥$18 (OR = 5.60, 95% CI: 1.1–28.2) and had good knowledge (OR = 32.1, 95% CI: 16.55–62.27) on BC screening were more likely to have good practice on BC screening. Conclusions: These findings call for targeted interventions addressing negative attitudes and poor knowledge of BC screening such as educational awareness programs interpreted in local languages indigenous to the community. The provision of BC screening at an affordable cost is recommended to improve good practice.