Breast-Cancer Awareness and Breast Self-Examination (BSE) Evaluation among Young Adult Females in Dehradun, Uttarakhand

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breasts for any abnormalities such as lumps, distortions, or swelling.While breast selfexamination was previously heavily promoted as a means to detect cancer at a more treatable stage, its primary goal is to empower women to become familiar with the appearance and texture of their breasts, enabling them to promptly recognize any changes that may arise.The majority of fatalities stemming from this illness occur in developing regions.The diminished survival rates observed in less economically developed nations can be primarily attributed to the absence of early detection initiatives, insufficient diagnostic resources, and limited treatment facilities, leading to a significant portion of women being diagnosed at advanced disease stages.Furthermore, it ranks as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally.Breast cancer ranks as the second most prevalent cause of cancer-related fatalities among women worldwide, a statistic mirrored in India.However, the true extent of the burden of breast-cancer in India remains elusive due to inadequate cancer data and statistics.
The aim of this study is to assess the comprehension of breast cancer and breast self-examination among young adult females.Additionally, it seeks to gauge the practical application of knowledge regarding these topics among this demographic.Furthermore, the study aims to explore the correlation between the level of knowledge and the actual practice of breast self-examination with selected demographic variables.

METHODOLOGY
For this study, a quantitative research approach was employed, utilizing an exploratory research design.A sample size of 60 individuals was chosen using a non-probability convenient sampling technique from Himalayan Hospital, Dehradun.Data collection involved the administration of a structured knowledge questionnaire and a self-reported practice checklist.Subsequently, the collected data underwent analysis utilizing both descriptive and inferential statistics.

RESULTS
The investigation outcomes indicated that the average knowledge score among adult females was 13.93 with a standard deviation of 4.88.Impressively, 63.3% of participants demonstrated a commendable level of understanding concerning breast cancer and breast self-examination, reflecting a strong grasp of pertinent information.However, a notable proportion, 13.3%, displayed average knowledge in these areas, suggesting room for improvement in understanding key concepts related to breast health.Alarmingly, 23.3% of respondents exhibited below-average understanding regarding breast cancer and breast self-examination, highlighting a concerning gap in awareness that warrants targeted educational interventions.These findings underscore the importance of implementing comprehensive awareness campaigns and educational programs to enhance knowledge and promote proactive breast health practices among the population.Despite this, there was a positive correlation between awareness and educational attainment, indicating the potential effectiveness of targeted educational interventions.Alarmingly, the study found that a large proportion of respondents had never performed BSE or were unaware of its significance in early detection.These findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive public health campaigns and educational initiatives tailored to young females in Dehradun to enhance awareness and encourage regular BSE practices, thereby improving early detection rates and reducing the burden of breast cancer in the region.Table 1 describes the socio-demographic profile of the adult females regarding the breast self-examination.Figure 1      .0042.948students.The investigation was carried out with the intension of assessing the level understanding and awareness of carcinoma of breast and breast self-care.The data collected through pre and post questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS.58% had a understanding of at least one of the symptoms and 59% knew at least one of the risk factors for breast-cancer.
Only 18% adolescent girls knew about breast self-care and 107 adolescent girls practice it.
• The research done by (Isara et, al. 2011) indicate a deficiency in breast cancer awareness among female secondary school students.While a notable portion acknowledged the potential of Breast Self-care as a screening tool for breast cancer, only a minority had performed it.This underscores the necessity for comprehensive health education initiatives focusing on breast cancer and BSE among adolescent females in [6,7,8].
• The outcomes from the study performed by (Birhane et, al. 2017) underscore a prevalent lack of familiarity and practice with Breast Self-care among the majority of participants.
Given the importance of self-breast inspection in the early detection of breast cancer, there is a pressing need for universities to implement comprehensive health education programs.
These initiatives should aim to enhance public awareness of BSE techniques and raise knowledge about breast cancer among students and the broader community.By equipping individuals with the necessary information and skills, universities can play a vital role in promoting proactive health behaviors and reducing the burden of breast cancer through early detection and intervention [7,9,10].

CONCLUSION
Breast self-examination stands as an ideal, safe, effective, and cost-free method accessible to every woman, requiring only minimal training and easily conducted during leisure time.By empowering women to proactively monitor their breast health, breast self-care facilitates the timely identification of breast-cancer.However, despite improvements in literacy rates and awareness regarding breast cancer, several barriers hinder the consistent practice of breast self-examination.These obstacles include feelings of embarrassment, constraints on time, fear of uncovering a lump, and negative attitudes toward the practice of breast self-care.This emphasizes how important it is to have a training program in place that aims to raise awareness about breast-cancer (BC) and encourage breast self-care as part of national and international efforts to fight this deadly illness.
describes the area-wise percentage distribution of domains of understanding score regarding breast cancer and breast self-care among young adult females Figure No 2 Shows the percentage of practice scores regarding breast selfcare among young adult females (37) 61.7% have satisfactory practice and (23) 38.3% have unsatisfactory practice.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Percent distribution of practice score for Brest self-examination and breast cancer

Table 1 .
Analysis of the Socio-demographic Characteristics of Adult Females about BreastCancer Awareness and Breast Self-Examination (Sample Size: 60)

Table 2 .
Mean, SD, Range, Median and Mean percentage of knowledge score of young adult females regarding breast-cancer and breast self-care.

Table 3 .
Correlation of Knowledge Scores with Socio-demographic Factors among Young AdultFemales in to Breast Self-care and Breast Cancer Awareness

Table 4 .
Association between practice score with socio-demographic variables of young adult females regarding Brest self-examination and breast cancer.
• The outcomes supported by Suvarna Madhu Kumar, Utharaar Thambiran, Bhavya Basavaraju [2017] The study takes place at a well-known science college in Bengaluru.The study comprised college girls age between 18-23 years and the sample size was 1030