Comparing the knowledge and awareness of cervical and breast cancer among medical and nonmedical students of a private institution in South India

Abstract

Context: Cervical and breast cancer is the most leading cause of death among women globally. Cervical and breast cancer can be cured if detected early. Aims: The aim of the study was to compare the knowledge and awareness of cervical and breast cancer among medical and nonmedical students of a private institution in South India. Settings and Design: A cross‑sectional study was done on 600 female students of a private institution comprising both medical and nonmedical for a period of 6 months. Subjects and Methods: A study was done to assess the awareness and knowledge on cervical and breast cancer by using a standardized questionnaire. Statistical Analysis Used: The data were statistically analyzed with Mann–Whitney test by using GraphPad prism. Results: Out of the 600 female students, there were each of 300 female students in medical and nonmedical. Majority of the student population was seen in 17–19 years: 143 (47.6%) in medical and 206 (68.6%) in nonmedical. A total of 235 (78.3%) medical students have heard of cervical cancer and its screening (164 [54.6%]). Many nonmedical students have never heard of cervical cancer (248 [82.6%]) and its screening (283 [94.3%]). Nearly 61% of the medical students and 1.1% nonmedical have heard of Pap smear. Both medical students (276 [92%]) and nonmedical students (179 [53.2%]) were aware of the breast cancer but have less awareness about the age of occurrence. Awareness on breast self‑examination was poor among medical (137 [45.6%]) and nonmedical (19 [5.6%]) students. The P < 0.0001 (<0.05) showed a statistically significant difference between the medical and nonmedical students. Conclusions: Through the findings of our study, we analyzed that the knowledge and awareness of cervical and breast cancer among medical students was better than that of the nonmedical students.