Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Breast cancer accounts for 19-34% of all cancer cases among women in India. There is high mortality due to late stage diagnosis as patients usually present at an advanced stage because of lack of awareness and nonexistent breast cancer screening programs. Early detection and prompt treatment offer the greatest chance of long-term survival and breast self-examination (BSE) seems to be a important viable optional substitute for early detection of cancer. OBJECTIVES: 1) To assess the level of knowledge of degree college female students on BSE. 2) To determine the effectiveness of planned teaching program among degree college female students on BSE. 3) To find the association between pretest knowledge and selected demographic variables. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Pre-experimental one group pretestpost-test design was carried out among 40 degree female students by using cluster sampling method from selected colleges of Udupi district. RESULTS: The data analyzed showed that majority (52%) of them was in the age group of 18-19 years and 72% of them were had average knowledge on BSE in the pretest score. Out of 40 participants only one student was performing BSE occasionally. CONCLUSIONS: Awareness regarding breast self examination among young generations is useful and it is the most important viable tool for early detection.