PERCEPTION OF WOMEN REGARDING BREAST CANCER IN URBAN AND RURAL COMMUNITY OF AHMEDABAD DISTRICT

Breast cancer accounts for 19-34% of all cancer cases among women in India ranking second to cervical cancer. The burden of breast cancer is increasing in both developed and developing countries; the peak occurrence of breast cancer in developed countries is above the age of 50 whereas in India it is above the age of 40. AIMS: Study and compare the perceptions regarding breast cancer among rural and urban women of Ahmedabad district. METHODS: The study is a Community based cross-sectional study conducted from May 2013 to September 2013 in Urban and Rural settings of Ahmedabad district. A pre-designed and pre-tested proforma was used to collect baseline data by house to house visits. Informed consent was also taken before the initiation of survey. Data was entered into MS Office- Excel 2007 and analysis was done in Epi info version 3.7.1. Chi square test were used to test statistical significance. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The findings of this study depicted a wide gap in knowledge about breast cancer and its risk factors among urban and rural women of Ahmedabad district. Though 87% of the urban women had heard about breast cancer, only 67% rural women were aware about it. Sadly, less than half of all women were aware of the cardinal symptoms of breast cancer.