Effect of breast cancer prevention program on the awareness and performance of female high school students

Background. Breast cancer (BC) is the most common type of cancer in women and the most common cancer among women in Iran. The lack of awareness and of an early-detection program in this developing country is the main reason for the escalating morbidity and mortality. Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of a BC prevention program on the awareness and behavior of female high school students in Abadeh, Iran. Material and methods. This study was a quasi-experimental study. The sample consisted of 220 female students who were selected by the multi-stage sampling method and divided into two groups: intervention and control. The required data were collected by a researcher-designed questionnaire and then analyzed by SPSS 17 software using descriptive analytical tests. Results. There was no significant difference in awareness and behavior scores between the two groups before the intervention (p > 0.05), but after the intervention the mean scores of those variables in the test group had increased significantly (p < 0.05). A Spearman correlation test showed that the correlation between the variables (awareness and behavior) was significant and direct (p < 0.001, r = 0.340). Conclusions. Given the effect of educational programs on the awareness and behavior of students, the results of this study can be effective in attracting the attention of health officials and making them aware of the importance of providing training programs on BC through educational programs in schools.