None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in Pakistan, and many cases are diagnosed at late stages because women are not aware of simple screening methods. Breast self-examination (BSE) is an easy, low-cost way for women to check their own breasts regularly and notice changes early.. This cluster randomized controlled trial aims to improve the efficacy and legitimacy of theory-based breast self-examination interventions by increasing women's knowledge of the need for breast cancer awareness and changing their attitudes to encourage early breast cancer detection.
Interventions
Health belief theory-based breast self-examination intervention delivered to the intervention group.
i. Knowledge-based awareness session
A one-hour presentation including a short video of 5 minutes duration about general structure as well as functioning of normal breast. Awareness on breast health, basic knowledge on breast cancer, and education on various screening methods of breast cancer will be provided by the researcher one week apart.
ii. Skill-based training session
During this section,
Health belief theory-based breast self-examination intervention delivered to the intervention group. i. Knowledge-based awareness session A one-hour presentation including a short video of 5 minutes duration about general structure as well as functioning of normal breast. Awareness on breast health, basic knowledge on breast cancer, and education on various screening methods of breast cancer will be provided by the researcher one week apart. ii. Skill-based training session During this section, participants will learn the palpation technique, the search strategy, and signs of breast cancer (BC) that are important for respondents to know.This training will be given by the researcher herself along with a gynaecologist for 15 to 20 minutes. Later, the participants will be asked to perform Breast self-examination (BSE) on themsleves in groups. Each group will be comprised of 5 participants and they look for any abnormalities and if there are any querries by the participants, they will also be answered by the researcher. iii. Take-home messages for participants A leaflet with the same information that was provided in the session will be given to every participant when the educational session ends. A short film about Breast self-examination (BSE) performance will be sent to the participants via WhatsApp. Such materials will be believed to remind participants about the Breast cancer screening (BCS) practice and the monthly Breast self-examination (BSE) performance. A short WhatsApp reminder message will be sent to all participants of the intervention group for the period of three months on a weekly basis.
Sponsors
Shamaila Hassnain - Health Services Academy
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to 39 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
- Females aged 18-39 years - Resident of selected community for > 6 months - Those who are willing to participate in the study - With no prior history of breast cancer - Have no family history of breast cancer or any other cancer - Who can understand basic Urdu/Punjabi or any other related language - Those who have access to smartphones
Exclusion criteria
- Women who are currently pregnant - Women who are currently breastfeeding - Women with a history of breast surgery, or on breast cancer treatment (Diagnosed/Recovered breast cancer patients) - Women with any other physical or mental illness - Health professionals
Outcome results
None listed