Age of Women as The Etiology to Breast Cancer Screening for Early Detection: A Case Study of South-West Nigeria

Attitude of women and practice towards breast cancer screening is still perceived to have some barriers such as difficulty in communication, cost, fear of the outcome, religious beliefs, cultural barriers and beliefs about cancer itself. The study therefore, investigated age of women as the etiology to breast cancer screening for early detection in Southwest Nigeria. Descriptive research design of the survey type was used for the study. The sample for the study consisted of 1800 women between the ages of 18-50 years in Southwest Nigeria. The sample size was selected using multistage sampling techniques. A self-designed questionnaire titled Psychosocial Factors and Breast Cancer Screening Questionnaire (PFBSQ) was used to elicit information from respondents. Data generated were analysed using inferential statistics. Findings from the study indicated that age has a significant influence on women’s susceptibility to breast cancer screening. Age of women also correlates significantly with the women subjecting themselves to breast self-examination and mammography as types of breast cancer screening. Based on these findings, the study recommends that Government should oversee the strict applicability of breast cancer prevention programme through breast screening. Also, women should be encouraged and sensitized on the need to always go for regular breast cancer screening as early detection remains the best strategy that will guarantee successful management of breast cancer among women.

Keywords: Age, Women, Breast cancer Screening, breast self-examination and mammography,