Effect of Self-Efficacy-Enhancing Program on Skill and Sustainability of Breast Self-Examination among Women at Risk

Abstract

Background and Objective: Breast cancer is one of the common malignancies of women in Thailand secondary from only to cervical cancer. Screening tests are recommended for these risk bystanders including breast self – exammination. To test the effects of teaching based on the self-efficacy-enhancing program on skill and sustainability of breast self–examination among women at risk of breast cancer.

Methods: Quasi-experimental research. Sixty-four subjects were purposively selected from a reproductive health clinic in a southern health promoting center hospital and divided into two groups, i.e., control and experimental. The experimental group was assigned to attend a teaching session based on the self-efficacy-enhancing program on breast self-examination developed by the researcher. The control group was assigned to receive routine teaching by a nurse. The data were collected using three sets of questionnaires, i.e., 1) self -efficacy in breast self-examination, 2) skill in breast self-examination, and 3) sustainability on breast self-examination. The content of all questionnaires was validated by three experts. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of self-efficacy in breast self-examination and sustainability on breast self–examination were 0.80 and 0.90 respectively. Interrater reliability of the tool measuring skill in breast self-examination was 1.0. Descriptive statistics, paired t-test and independent t- test were applied for analysis of the data.

Results: 1) Breast self-examination skill of the women at risk significantly increased after receiving teaching  based  on  the self-efficacy-enhancing program (t=19.09, p<0.01) 2) Breast self-examination skill of the women at risk significantly increased after receiving the routine teaching (t=17.15, p <0.01) 3) The skill in breast-examination of the women at risk  who received  teaching based on the self-efficacy-enhancing program was significantly higher than that of women who received routine teaching (t=9.22, p<0.01) 4) The sustainability on breast self–examination of the women at risk  who received  teaching based on the self-efficacy-enhancing program was significantly higher than that of women who  received routine teaching (t=7.97, p<0.01).

Conclusions: The results of the study indicate that teaching based in the self-efficacy-enhancing program is effective in promoting sustainability on breast self-examination in comparison to the routine teaching. Considering the effect on enhancing skill in breast self-examination, the study showed a significant difference between the two teaching programs. However, it is recommended that the newly developed program should be extensively integrated into practice for improving sustainability of breast self-examination in women at risk of breast cancer.

Keywords : Breast self-examination, skill, self-enhancing program, breast cancer.