Impact of Breast Cancer Awareness Programmes on the Prevention of Breast Cancer Amongst Nigerian Women
Chapter One
Objectives of the study
The major objective of the study is the impact of breast cancer awareness programmes on the prevention of breast cancer amongst Nigerian women.
- To ascertain the media campaign programmes on breast cancer and their frequency
- To identify the medium women are most exposed to.
- To find out the level of Edo women’s exposure to media campaign messages on breast cancer.
- To ascertain the medium that is most effective for media campaign on breast cancer.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of the media campaigns on breast cancer awareness
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Focus of Review
The focus of review of this study entails the different sub topics that are inter-related to the main topic of the research work. The study will therefore review the different areas that bordered on the research topic.
They are;
Overview of Breast cancer
Breast cancer stages
Breast cancer types
Breast cancer risk factors
Breast cancer symptoms
Breast cancer screening/Diagnosis
Breast cancer treatment
Overview of other media campaigns
Media campaign types
Empirical studies
Theoretical framework
Review Itself
Overview of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a malignant tumor which originates from breast tissue. It is a cancer of the glandular breast tissue, where the tissues are destroyed due to excessive growth of the cancer cells, leading to the destruction of the surrounding tissues and other organs through the blood stream. (MWAN, 2011,Russel, 2007).
As earlier acknowledged, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women all over the world, accounting for almost 1 % of all deaths and ranking the fifth most common form of cancer and a major cause of deaths among women of 30 years and above (American Cancer Society, 2007, Parkin, Bray, Ferlay and Prsani, 2005, Azenha, Bass, Caleffi, Smith, Pretorius, Durstine and Perez, 2011, Okobia, Bunker, Okonofua and Osime, 2006, Dumittrescu ε Cataria, 2004, Russel,2007).
However, Breast cancer is mostly detected by a painless lump or mass of tissues called tumors (Blugs, Cummings, Spencer and Palladino, 2009 and Okobia, Bunker, Okonofua and Osime, 2006). The cancer cells usually start either in the cells of the lobules or the ducts. The lobules are the milk-producing glands while the ducts are the passages where the produced milk is collected from, to the nipples. The cancerous cells can also develop into the stomal tissues such as the fatty and fibrous connective tissues of the breast, though this occurrence is not common.
(http://wwwbreastcancer.org/illustration/10013.html) and Blugs, Cummings, spencer ε Palladino, 2009)
However according to Breast Cancer.Org, (2009) there are different stages of breast cancer that explicitly show how far the cancer cells have metastasized or spread beyond the original tumor.
Stages of Breast Cancer
Breast cancer stages are characterized by the cancer size, the invasiveness or non invasiveness of the cancer, the lymph nodes and the metastasis of the cancer.
Breast cancer stages can also be described as local, regional and distant. Breast cancer stage can be local when the cancer is confined within the breast. It is regional when the cancer is in the lymph nodes, primarily in the armpit. While distant breast cancer stage is where the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body.
Moreover, TNM is another staging system used to describe cancer. This comprises the size of the tumor (T), the lymph node (N), and the spread, or metastasis of the cancer to other parts of the body (M).
Stage 0
This stage explains non-invasive breast cancers as in DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ). It is a stage where no evidence of cancer cells forming on any part of the breast invading neighboring normal tissue exists.
Stage I
Stage I portrays invasive breast cancer invading normal surrounding breast tissue. In this stage, the tumor measures up to 2 cm and no lymph nodes are involved.
There can also be a microscopic invasion in stage I breast cancer. In microscopic invasion, the cancer cells just began o invade the tissue outside the lining of the duct or lobule, but the invading cancer cells do not measure more than 1 mm.
Stage II
Stage II consists of subcategories known as IIA and IIB. Stage IIA is a stage of invasive breast cancer where cancer cells are found in the lymph nodes under the arm but not in the breast. Then in this stage the tumor which has spread to the axillary lymph nodes measures 2cm or smaller but the tumor can be larger than 2 cm but not larger than 5 cm and has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes
Stage IIB – Here the invasive breast cancer either shows where the tumor is larger than 2 cm but no larger than 5 cm and has also metastasized to the axillary lymph nodes or it shows where the tumor is larger than 5 cm but has not spread to the axillary lymph nodes Stage III
Stage III is divided into there categories known as IIIA, IIIB, and IIIC.
CHAPTER THREE:
METHODOLOGY
Research Design
The study utilized the survey method. Survey research design, scientifically samples and interviews people to analyze and report what they said. Ohaja (2003) avers that survey is usually employed in studies of attitudinal and behavioral trends with the researcher seeking to uncover their demographic psychological underpinnings.
Population of Study
For the purpose of this study, the target population was the adult females in Edo State. Edo state consist of three senatorial districts namely: Edo-South, Edo-Central and Edo- North Senatorial districts. But, because of the large size of Edo State population, the researcher covered only the Benin metropolis (which is among the Edo–South senatorial district) because of the impossibility to cover the whole state.
Due to the large size Benin metropolis, consisting of three local governments areas namely Oredo, Egor and Ikpoba-Okha, the researcher narrowed it down to Oredo municipality that comprised of 185, 620 females and 12 wards (source National Population Commission, 2006). The population of the study was therefore 185, 620 females in Oredo municipality.
The above choice of population sufficed for the purpose of this study because the 12 wards in the Oredo local government area are the interplay of the very urban, the semiurban and the rural dwellers. These mixtures therefore engendered and ensured a comprehensive and balance data from women, with a true picture and state of media campaigns on breast cancer in the state, portrayed.
Sample size determination
A study sample is simply a systematic selected part of a population that infers its result on the population. In essence, it is that part of a whole that represents the whole and its members share characteristics in like similitude (Prince Udoyen: 2019). In this study, the researcher used the [TARO YAMANE FORMULA] to determine the sample size.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF DATA AND ANALYSIS
Data Presentation and Analysis
The presentation began with the demographic and psychographic characteristics of the respondents. The study presented four demographic data comprising age range, marital status, educational qualifications and occupation and twenty four psychographic questions in the questionnaire. The exercise is however presented below with appropriate tables and percentages, pie charts and bar charts.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Summary
The study reviewed foreign and local literatures that related and bordered on evaluation of media campaigns on breast cancer in Edo state. This is coupled with examining of relevant theories that constituted the fundamental framework of the study.
The study designed to appraise the effectiveness of the various media campaigns on breast cancer and the women’s level of exposure and compliance to the campaign messages, generated results from the responses of 400 women randomly and systematically selected from 12 wards, of Oredo local government area of Edo state.
However, the results obtained from a 28-item questionnaire that comprised but demographic and psychographic data of Edo women, were analyzed and presented in appropriate tables and percentages, pie charts and bar charts. The study emphatically revealed that the breast cancer programmes inherent in the media campaigns were grossly infrequent, inadequate and poor in themselves to elicit prompt and quick adherence of women to early presentation of breast cancer through the practice of BSE and CBE. Therefore, results of the study have shown that the media campaigns on breast cancer have little effect on the Edo women.
Conclusion
In conclusion of this study, major findings revealed that media campaigns on breast cancer have not been adequate to produce sustainable changes in Edo women in screening their breast by themselves and by visiting the hospitals for early detection of breast cancer. Results obtained from the study revealed that media campaign messages on breast cancer’s risk factors, common symptoms and methods of early diagnosis, exposed to the women were abysmally incomprehensive and poor. This was evident in the greater number of the research questions that received negative responses from the surveyed women.
Confirming the above, it was found that the frequencies of these media exposure, their contents and the level of the women’s understanding of the entire campaign programmes were altogether inconsistent and low. It was equally discovered that more than half of the women were not opportuned to have an adequate exposure and a better understanding of the few leaflets shared to them by Medical Women Association of Nigeria, (MWAN) Edo State chapter, mainly due to their low educational status. This was similar to the standard billboard on breast cancer displayed at the king square (Oredo local government), irrespective of two others, equally displayed at Uselu market (Egor local government) and Oregbeni park (Ikpoba okha local government) by MWAN, Edo state chapter.
It therefore showed that the media campaigns on breast cancer received very low women exposure even though there was a high women exposure to silverbird radio and ITV radio as a medium identified as their major source of breast cancer knowledge. Generally, radio was additionally identified as the most effective medium in breast cancer campaigns due to its far reaching capabilities to the remotest parts of a community.
These facts obtained from the surveyed women as they pertain to their inadequate media exposure and poor knowledge, however explained why the practice of BSE and CBE was very low among them. Other reasons for nor performing BSE and CBE, apart from not having enough information, include not having enough time and not being aware of the need for BSE and CBE. Meanwhile, studies have proved that adherence to BSE and CBE are fundamental to facilitating early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
However, findings also showed that the surveyed women who were informed by people (interpersonal communication) and not by mass media were better exposed to breast cancer messages than the women who were informed by mass media. This affirms the importance of interpersonal communication or social interaction to media campaigns in producing positive results. As stated by Hornik and Yanavitzky (2003), that one of the three ways media campaigns affects behavior change is through social interaction with family members, friends and other people in the community.
As studies, reports, public opinion experts and social scientists have established, that media campaigns cannot therefore produce desired positive changes or prevent negative ones without a support of face- to- face campaigns or interpersonal communication (social interaction)
Recommendations
Based on the above findings, the study recommends that:
- Breast cancer campaigns should be made elaborate, well spelt out, comprehensive and strategic like that of HIV/AIDS campaigns in educating the women on the risk factors, common symptoms and early diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. There should be breast cancer dramas, clear cut jingles and commercials, intensive and consistent health talks repeatedly carried in every media to ensure a holistic, change oriented campaign piece.
- The analysis, planning, execution and evaluation of these breast cancer campaign programmes should be thoroughly researched and packaged to change Edo women from low performance of BSE and CBE to achieving a quick and prompt compliance of early presentation of breast cancer and to prevent untimely deaths. These researches should comprise audience, media message and source researches.
- Employment of different native languages, including ‘Pidgin English’ and persuasive breast cancer messages should be used in communicating to the women to ensure utter comprehension of the programmes which will in turn influence their voluntary behaviour to achieving positive results.
- Apart from employment of posters, billboards, leaflets, magazines and newspapers for the literate and elite class, radio and television should mainly be utilized to disseminate persuasive, educative and comprehensive breast cancer messages to the semi-literate and illiterates groups in their widest semi-urban and rural areas.
- Religious fora, women fora and others should be intensified and deliberate in furthering the breast cancer education of the women.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Books
- America Cancer Society (2007) Breast cancer facts and figures. Atlanta: ACS, Inc.
- Becker, M.H. (ed) (1974) The health belief model and personal health behaviour. Thorofare, NJ: Charles B. Slack.
- Blugs, W.S., Cummungs, M.r., Spencer, C.A. and Palladino, M.A. (2009). Concepts of genetics. America: Pearson Prentice Hall.
- Commonwealth Africa communication (2006).Landmark achievements of Oredo local government council under the leadership of Victor Edos Ebomoyi(May 2004-December 2006)Benin-city: Commonwealth Africa Communication
- Igbare, E. (2009) social Development, Television and politics in Nigeria. Ibadan: Kraft Books limited.
- King, S., (2006). Pink Ribbons Inc: breast cancer and the politics of philanthropy. Minneapolis?: University of Minnesota Press.
- Kotter, P. and Armstrong, G., (2009) principles of marketing, (13th ed) Upper Saddle, River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
- Ogbuoshi, L.I (2006). Understanding research methods and thesis writing. Enugu: Linco Publishers.
- Ohaja, E.U (2003). Mass communication research project report writing. Lagos: John Letterman Ltd.
