NUTRITION-RELATED BREAST CANCER PREVENTION KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, AND PRACTICE IN MEDICAL AND PARAMEDICAL STUDENTS AT THE IRAN UNIVERSITY OF MEDICAL SCIENCE, IRAN

Background and Aim: The prevention of breast cancer needs education and self-awareness. The aims of this study were to assess nutrition-related breast cancer prevention Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of Iranian female students and to examine the relationship between their demographic characteristics and KAP.Methods: A total of 500 female students were recruited from Iran University of Medical Science (IUMS) in this cross-sectional study. Pretested self-made questionnaires were used to assess the KAP of participants on the role of nutrition in the prevention of breast cancer, and dietary intake of students.Results: The mean age of participants was 21.8 years old. The mean score of nutrition-related breast cancer prevention knowledge among students was 16.9 and knowledge scores significantly varied by age (P= 0.03), the field of study (P= 0.001), and familial history of breast cancer (P= 0.01). The mean score of the nutrition-related breast cancer prevention attitude was 24.8. The mean score of 39.3 was determined for nutrition-related breast cancer prevention practice with a significant difference between younger or older (P=0.003) and employed or unemployed (P=0.003) students. Further, a significant correlation was observed between nutrition-related knowledge and nutrition-related attitude (r = 0.27, P<0.001) and we found that nutrition-related attitudes were positively correlated with the breast cancer prevention dietary practices (r = 0.23, P<0.001).Conclusion: The results of present study demonstrate valuable information about the knowledge, attitudes and eating practices of female university students. Universities should provide the opportunity for students to improve their nutrition-related breast cancer prevention knowledge and practices.

کلیدواژه ها:

Knowledge ، Attitude ، Practice ، Breast cancer ، Medical student ، Iranian women