Effects of Breast Self-Examination Education on Middle-Aged Women

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify trends in middle-aged women's knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding breast self-examination and to enable middle-aged women to perform breast self-examination on their own by providing breast self-examination education. Method: The subjects were middle-aged women aged between 35 and 60 who were students receiving training at the J City Korean Traditional Music Center. From March 12, 2022, to May 27, 2022, they underwent education on breast cancer and breast self-examination. This is a quasi-experimental design study with a singlegroup pre-test and post-test, surveying knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding breast self-examination before and after the education. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS/WIN 22.0. Results: Regarding breast self-examination knowledge, the average pre-education score was 9.62, and the average post-education score was 11.45. When comparing the level of knowledge before and after the education, the average knowledge score increased by 1.83 points. The average pre-education attitude toward breast selfexamination was 40.44 points, and the post-education attitude was 49.12 points, showing an average increase of 8.68 points. Initially, 15 participants performed breast self-examination, with an average pre-education practice score of 9.01. After the education, out of 32 participants, 29 performed the breast self-examination, with a post-education practice score averaging 22.83. The results show that the number of participants who practiced breast self-examination more than doubled when comparing before and after the education. Conclusion: Breast self-examination education increases the level of breast self-examination practice, which plays a significant role in the early detection of breast cancer by self-administration. Therefore, continuous educational programs should be provided.