ASSESSMENT OF KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE OF BREAST SELF-EXAMINATION AMONG FEMALE STUDENTS IN WOLAITA SODO UNIVERSITY, ETHIOPIA

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women globally and the second commonest cancer overall. In Ethiopia it is also an emerging public health problem and top leading causes of cancer mortality and morbidity among women of reproductive age group. The objectives of research is to assess the knowledge, attitude and practice of breast self-examination among women aged 20-49 years in WolaitaSodo SNNPR, Ethiopia, 2019. Method: An institution based cross- sectional study was conducted with a sample of 218 women aged 18-49 years in WolaitaSodo University. One college wasrandomly selected from three each campus and systematic random sampling technique was used to select female students in the selected campus.A-structured questionnaire is used for assessing female student knowledge,attitude and practice of breast self-examination by using an open ended and close ended questionnaire. Data qualities was controlled by designating proper data collection tools. Result: A total of 218 respondents participated in the study, of these, only 83.4% of them had good knowledge and 95.5% had positive attitude towards BSE.(83.4%) of the respondents had done breast self-examinations, from these only 37.3% of them practiced monthly. Conclusion: The finding of the research showing that female students have good attitude but they have poor knowledge and practices toward BSE.