Breast Cancer Awareness Based on Health Information Literacy and Influential Factors among Female Nursing Students in China

Abstract

This investigation aimed to study breast cancer awareness based on health information literacy and influential factors of breast cancer awareness among female nursing students in Changchun city in China. A four-part self-report questionnaire including the participants' general demographic characteristics, the participants' specialized characteristics concerning breast cancer screening, the Chinese version of the Breast Cancer Awareness Measurement (C-BCAM), and the Chinese version of the Health Information Literacy Self-rating Scale (HILSS) was designed to investigate breast cancer awareness and health information literacy and influential factors of breast cancer awareness among 205 female nursing students in Year 1-Year 3 using convenience sampling. The data were analyzed with SPSS 26.0 using descriptive statistics, nonparametric tests, and multiple regression analysis. The nursing students had an average level of HIL (median = 101.00, (93.00, 107.00)) and a good level of breast cancer awareness (median = 82.00, (76.00, 88.00)). A significant positive correlation was found between the HILSS and total C-BCAM score (r = 0.439, P < 0.01). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that grades (P < 0.001), training in BSE (P = 0.025), and intention of undergoing breast cancer screening (P = 0.028) were three predictive factors for breast cancer awareness among female nursing students. The female nursing students' HIL was at an average level, and breast cancer awareness was at a good level. Health information literacy and breast cancer awareness among female nursing students in Changchun were significantly positively correlation, as demonstrated by this survey. Therefore, nursing education has the responsibility to improve female nursing students' awareness of breast cancer at different grades and to cultivate health information literacy. More training in BSE is needed. Greater efforts may be needed to develop targeted nursing education to strengthen female nursing students' awareness of breast cancer and HIL.

Keywords: Awareness; Breast neoplasms; Consumer health information; Literacy; Mass screening; Students, nursing.