Evaluating the Effectiveness of an Educational Awareness Program Through Knowledge Change: A Cross-Sectional Study Promoting Breast Awareness

Objective In 2020, breast cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in Japan. Its incidence begins to rise in the late twenties and reaches a first peak in the late forties. Therefore, fostering sustainable preventive health behaviors from a younger age is crucial. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational awareness program on breast cancer from a long-term perspective by comparing knowledge levels before the intervention, immediately after, and one month following the intervention, with the goal of promoting breast awareness. Methods and materials This was a cross-sectional study conducted at three time points: before the breast cancer educational intervention, immediately after, and one and a half months post-intervention. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 82 first-year students enrolled in the Nursing Course at the School of Health Sciences, Hirosaki University, Japan. Data from 55 students (valid response rate: 64.7%) who completed all three surveys were analyzed. The number of respondents at each time point was: 67 students before the intervention (response rate: 81.7%), 72 students immediately after (response rate: 87.8%), and 63 students one and a half months later (response rate: 76.8%). Ultimately, data from the 55 students with no missing values across all three surveys were included in the analysis. The questionnaire covered topics such as breast cancer subtypes, hereditary breast and ovarian cancer (HBOC), cancer staging, peak age of incidence starting at 40, and invasive vs. non-invasive cancer. Results In the question "Which of the following is considered early-stage cancer?", no significant difference was observed among students before the intervention, on the day of the intervention, or immediately after the intervention. Regarding the question "At what age range does the first peak in the incidence of breast cancer occur in women?", scores significantly decreased immediately after the intervention and one and a half months later (p<0.001). Due to the low scores obtained, the present results suggest that a single awareness education session was not sufficient for a thorough understanding of the peak age for the development of breast cancer. Conclusion While the educational awareness program that provided knowledge as a preliminary step towards breast awareness showed some effectiveness immediately after the intervention, the present results indicate that a single session was insufficient for sustaining knowledge over time. Future educational efforts need to emphasize the peak incidence age of 40 years and incorporate repeated sessions in order to enhance the long-term retention of knowledge.