KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICE OF BREAST CANCER COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES AMONG WOMEN IN BENUE STATE

Abstract

This study assessed the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding breast cancer communication guidelines among women in Benue state. The study was grounded in two theories: The theory of planned bahaviour and Health Belief Model. The researcher adopted quantitative method for the execution of the study, and a population of 3,189,712 was studied using a sample size of 400. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed with the Social Science Statistical package (SPSS). The findings, among others, revealed that there was a high level of exposure to breast cancer communication guidelines among women in Benue State. However, while knowledge levels were relatively high, attitude and practice lagged with many women failing to carry out regular self-examination or seek clinical screening. The study concludes therefore that although the mass media have been successful in raising awareness, the content and presentation of the messages are not consistently strong enough to drive sustained behavioural change. The study therefore recommends sustained public health education, through mixed media use, to promote early detection of breast lumps. increased community-based communication effort, strengthen behavioural health communication leveraging survivor communication narratives, and sustained collaboration between media professionals, health educators, and community groups to improve early detection practices and reduce mortality from breast cancer in Nigeria.