Influence of Mass Media Campaigns on Breast Cancer Knowledge among Women in Enugu State (Published)
Breast cancer remains a major killer of women globally. Medical literature suggests that early detection could led to complete cure. Owing to the fact that early detection is dependent on women’s levels of awareness and knowledge, several media campaigns have been lunched. However, one wonders the effectiveness of these campaigns on the knowledge and behaviour of women in Enugu State. This study, therefore, set out to ascertain the contributions of mass media to breast cancer knowledge among women in Enugu State. Survey research method was employed with questionnaire and interview guide as the measuring instruments. Cochran sampling technique was used to determine the sample size which stood at 384 based on a population of 1,671,795 women in Enugu State. The sample was randomly selected while Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyze the data collected. The findings showed a positive relationship between level of education and information seeking from the mass media about breast cancer. Radio was found to be the most predominant medium used by the women. In this study, it is recommended that government should intensify media messages on breast cancer in the state, especially in the rural communities where most of the non-literate women reside. Future studies should focus on expanding the scope of this study to South – Eastern parts of Nigeria
Keywords: Breast cancer, Health, Knowledge, Media Campaigns, awareness