Table 3 Knowledge about risk factors of breast cancer
Risk Factors | Pre-clinical Medical Students (n = 128) | Clinical Medical Students (n = 138) | Total Students (n = 266) | chi square | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Number (%) of respondents who correctly identified the risk factor | |||||
Age | 4 (3.1%) | 17 (12.3%) | 21 (7.9%) | 7.719 | 0.004 |
Having a history of breast cancer | 104 (81.2%) | 124 (89.9%) | 228 (85.7%) | 4.016 | 0.033 |
Using HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) | 51 (39.8%) | 84 (61.3%) | 135 (50.9%) | 12.206 | < 0.001 |
Drinking more than 1 unit of alcohol a day | 45 (35.2%) | 52 (37.7%) | 97 (36.5%) | 0.183 | 0.382 |
Being overweight (BMI over 25) | 48 (37.5%) | 41 (29.7%) | 89 (33.5%) | 0.195 | 0.112 |
Having a close relative with breast cancer | 67 (52.3%) | 99 (71.7%) | 166 (62.4%) | 10.648 | 0.001 |
Having children later in life or not at all | 37 (28.9%) | 67 (48.6%) | 104 (39.1%) | 10.762 | 0.001 |
Starting your periods at an early age | 19 (14.8%) | 28 (20.3%) | 47 (17.7%) | 1.354 | 0.158 |
Having a late menopause | 30 (23.4%) | 41 (29.7%) | 71 (26.7%) | 1.335 | 0.155 |
Doing less than 30 mins of moderate physical activity 5 times a week | 43 (33.6%) | 37 (26.8%) | 80 (30.1%) | 1.452 | 0.142 |
Mean number of risk factors identified | 3.7 ± 2.1 | 4.7 ± 2.2 | 4.3 ± 2.1 | ||