Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Female Medical Science Students Regarding Breast Cancer Screening and Related Factors in Iran

Background and aimBreast cancer is the most common malignant disease of women all over the world. The present study was conducted to investigate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences students regarding screening and its related factors.MethodsThis cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study included female students of Jahrom University of Medical Sciences who were studying in 2023. Data were collected by a questionnaire which included demographic information and breast cancer knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) questionnaire. Data analysis was done by SPSS 20 and Pearson correlation coefficient at the significant level of 0.05.ResultsThe participants were aged 22.08 + 2.61 on average. 37% of the students have moderate and weak knowledge in breast cancer screening. In addition, 29% reported a negative attitude toward mammography and 84% did not have appropriate practice in the field of screening. Age correlates positively with attitude (r = 0.16, P = 0.001) and behavior (r = 0.13, P = 0.006). Also, with an increase in the academic term, the knowledge and attitude score significantly increased. Although knowledge score and attitudes and practices did not correlate (P = 0.05), there was a positive and significant correlation between attitudes and practices (r = 0.18, P 001).ConclusionMore than a third of female students had moderate and poor knowledge, one-third had a negative attitude, and the majority of them had inappropriate practices regarding breast cancer screening. It is recommended to carry out educational interventions to improve the awareness of people toward breast cancer screening.