scholarly journals Improving Community Health Workers Knowledge of and Attitude Toward Breast Cancer in Rural Communities in Eastern Nigeria

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. 237s-237s
Author(s):  
V. okwor ◽  
K. Nwankwo ◽  
N. Lasebikan ◽  
I. Martin ◽  
I. Okoye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Early Detection ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Training Program ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
The Mean

Background and context: Nigeria presently grapples with a high burden of all forms of cancers with breast cancer being the most common and most lethal with estimated 27,304 new cases and 13,960 deaths annually. Poor knowledge of breast cancer and the wrong perception about its treatment is pervasive among many Nigerian women particularly those in rural communities leading to late presentation and poor treatment outcomes. Community health workers (CHWs) are at the forefront of closing the knowledge gap and improving on attitude toward breast cancer and its treatment in these rural settings through provision of an effective cancer patient care and support. Against this backdrop, the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital-Breast cancer support group (UNTH-BCSG) was established by a group of health professionals involved in caring for cancer patients in the eastern parts of the country. The consortium provides education and supports to breast cancer patients, training support to community health workers for early detection and prompt referral, carry out community outreach and education in both urban and rural communities, free cancer screening services to communities, as well as creating and supporting systems that effectively links cancer patients from the community level to the treatment centers. Aim: To implement a training program aimed at improving community health workers knowledge of and attitude toward breast cancer in selected rural communities in eastern Nigeria. Strategy/Tactics: A cross-sectional study design was used to select total of 521 health workers drawn across the 7 randomly selected local government areas in Enugu state, southeastern Nigeria. Respondents' level of knowledge and attitude toward breast cancer was assessed before and after the training. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire, while data analysis was done with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM-SPSS) version 20. Program/Policy process: Advocacy and campaign on breast cancer screening. Outcomes: Out of a total 521 CHWs with a mean age of 37.71 ± 8.789 years, majority of the workers were females (92.9%), married (74.1%) received formal trainings in community health education (67.3%). Prior to training, only 18.4% of respondents had ever screened for breast cancer, while 68.3% practice breast self-examination. T-test analysis showed that the mean knowledge score of breast cancer (6.86 ± 2.48), mean knowledge of risk of breast cancer (5.69 ± 3.15) and the mean attitude toward breast cancer score (5.98 ± 3.04), significantly improved with the training program to 7.56 ± 2.29, 10.62 ± 3.09, and 7.21 ± 2.69 respectively ( P < 0.01). What was learned: Community health worker still need more sustained training as they operate at the grass root of health care system. Every little assistance will be translated to reduced cancer morbidity and a lot of lives being saved through early detection.

scholarly journals Community Health Workers and Community Based Research [Capstone College of Nursing, The University of Alabama]

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Hope Miller ◽  
Sarah Quick ◽  
Mary Ann Kelley ◽  
Cassandra D. Ford
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Women’S Health ◽  
Women's Health ◽  
Community Health Workers ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Effective Characteristics ◽  
Community Based Research

Background: Community health workers (CHWs) are widely utilized within public health to serve their target populations in various capacities. Based on the specific intervention and target population, a CHW’s role can be modified to include health education, public health initiatives, patient advocacy, and specific topic knowledge. A long-standing obstacle is the retention of CHWs and the efficacy of their work in the community. Purpose: The purpose of this review was to distinguish the most effective characteristics of CHWs. This framework will be used to improve and evaluate a current CHW program in rural Alabama that targets breast cancer awareness in African American women. Methods: Two major databases, PubMed and Google Scholar, were used to identify studies that met inclusion criteria from the years 2010 through 2017. From the search, 15 relevant articles were found that highlight the qualities of effective community health worker interventions. Results: There were five prominent themes which emerged from the literature. Traits that were seen as important for an effective CHW included having knowledge of the topic, being a member of the community, having social and cultural competency, taking a personalized approach with the participants, and the efficiency of incentive-based interventions. Implications for Women’s health: It is important to take into account the CHWs, stakeholders, and participants opinions on what makes the interventions most effective. CHWs are often the link between rural communities and healthcare access. The traits found in this review of literature can be implemented in choosing effective CHWs in future rural women’s health programs. Choosing culturally competent, knowledgeable women to bring breast cancer education to rural communities aids these women in improving their health, preventing future health problems, and providing them with knowledge for early detection of health issues.

scholarly journals Self-perceived Risk of Breast Cancer and Screening Behaviors of First-degree Female Relatives of Breast Cancer Patients at the Uganda Cancer Institute, Uganda

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Provia Ainembabazi ◽  
Derrick Bary Abila ◽  
Grace Manyangwa ◽  
Godwin Anguzu ◽  
Innocent Mutyaba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Early Detection ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
Breast Cancer Screening ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Breast Cancer Patients ◽  
Perceived Risks ◽  
First Degree Relatives ◽  
Cancer Breast

Abstract Introduction In Uganda, Breast cancer is the most common cancer in females globally. The majority of the patients present with advanced-stage disease at diagnoses and experience high mortality. This underscores the importance of early detection approaches based on awareness of risk factors and self-perceived risks, and symptoms of the disease to promote adoption of risk reduction behaviors and prompt health-seeking respectively. This study assessed the self-perceived risk of breast cancer, and breast cancer screening behaviours among first-degree female relatives of breast cancer patients in Uganda.Methods This was a cross-sectional study employing quantitative approaches for data collection and analyses. First-degree female relatives of patients attending care at Uganda Cancer Institute were recruited consecutively in the study. A pre-tested coded questionnaire was used to collect data on self-perceived risks, breast cancer risks, and breast cancer screening behaviours. Data were collected between March to October 2019. A modified Poisson regression model was used to evaluate factors associated with self-perceived risk of breast cancer and breast cancer risk awareness.ResultsWe enrolled 296 first-degree female relatives from 197 female breast cancer patients. The median age (IQR) was 33 (26-43) years. A majority (60.1%, 178/296) of the participants had a low self-perceived risk of breast cancer. Breast self-examination (55.7%, 165/296) was the most practiced screening method followed by clinical breast examination (n= 64/296, 21.6%), ultrasound scan of the breast (7.8%, 23/296,), and mammogram (3.7%, 11/296). Women aged 35-44 years had a higher self-perceived risk of breast cancer (adjusted Incident Rate Ratio [aIRR]: 1.75, 95%CI: 1.10-2.80), compared to women aged 18-25 years. ConclusionFirst-degree relatives reported a low self-perceived risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer health education especially targeting younger women should emphasize the increased risk of breast cancer in first-degree relatives of patients with breast cancer. There is a need to increase awareness of breast cancer screening methods and their usefulness in the early detection of breast cancer among all women in Uganda.

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