ASSESSMENT OF INCIDENCE OF BREAST CANCER AMONG FEMALES IN ETHIOPE EAST AND ETHIOPE WEST L.G.A, OF DELTA STATE

This study was carried out to assess the incidence of breast cancer among females in Ethiope East and Ethiope West L.G.A.s of Delta State. Five research questions were raised and answered. A descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consists of 265,349 females from Ethiope East and Ethiope West Local Government Areas of Delta State. The sample size of the study was 400 respondents. Data for this study was collected using a questionnaire. A reliability coefficient value of 0.75 was obtained for the questionnaire. The questionnaires were administered to 400 respondents; however, only 360, which represent 90% of the total number of administered questionnaires, were retrieved and used for data analysis. The collected data was analysed using frequency counts and percentages. The findings of the study, among others, are that: there are numerous prevalent symptoms of breast cancer among females, including lumps in the breast, pain in the armpits or breast that does not appear to be related to the woman's menstrual period, and others; the causes of breast cancer among females include environmental factors, alcohol and tobacco use, genetic risk factors and DNA changes and obesity and lack of exercise; the factors influencing the practise of breast self-examination among females include forgetfulness and procrastination, fear of finding a lump, ignorance of breast self-examination technique; and there are numerous treatment procedures for breast cancer among females are drugs therapy, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery and physical exercise and dieting. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that sources and methods of education and the development of effective educational resources aimed at reducing the barriers against the early detection of breast cancer should be combined, and information campaigns through audience segmentation could be used to promote behaviour. Effective campaign strategies for increasing breast cancer awareness among women should be developed.