Knowledge and Intentions of Ninth-Grade Girls After a Breast Self-Examination Program

Breast cancer ranks as the second‐leading cause of death for women. Until recently the American Cancer Society advocated teaching breast self‐examination (BSE) procedures. The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, active in the fight against breast cancer, continues to support educational efforts to teach breast self‐examination skills to adolescent girls. Funded by the Komen Foundation, a BSE education program was developed and delivered by health educators at the Hult Health Education Center. The 50‐minute program consisted of a PowerPoint slide presentation of breast cancer and BSE facts, and a video demonstration of proper BSE technique. Using a quasi‐experimental design, the program was evaluated for changes in knowledge and intention to perform BSE. Ninth‐grade girls at four public high schools (n = 255) in Peoria, Ill, were given a pretest to determine their knowledge about breast cancer and breast self‐examination. A delayed posttest was administered between five to six weeks later (n = 211). Using the Kruskal‐Wallis nonparametric test, girls who participated in the BSE education program (treatment group) recorded a significantly higher overall mean knowledge score than girls who did not participate (comparison group). Those who participated in the program retained that knowledge over a five‐ to six‐week period. Analyses of variance revealed that more girls in the treatment group reported performing BSE in the past month as well as a higher intention to perform BSE in the future. (J Sch Health. 2004;74(9):365–369)