[Undergraduate students' knowledge about the prevention of breast cancer]

This study aimed to identify what undergraduate students know of factors for breast cancer prevention. This was a quantitative, exploratory and descriptive study, developed in a University in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil with 50 students enrolled in nursing, physiotherapy and psychology programs in the first semester of 2008. The data were collected from February to April 2008. A semi-structured questionnaire and descriptive statistics were used. Results showed that students of nursing and physiotherapy demonstrated greater knowledge about the issue than the psychology students. Mentioned prevention factors: consumption of vegetables, greens and fruits, physical exercises and breastfeeding. Conclusions indicate that the level of students' knowledge about factors that can prevent breast cancer, in an interdisciplinary perspective, is important to rethink the inclusion of health education as an essential curriculum content to promote a healthy university.