Effectiveness of a community program to promote early breast cancer detection

There are no known means of preventing breast cancer, and efforts to control the disease must be directed toward early detection and improved treatment. To assist in achieving this, we developed a two-tier educational program aimed at educating women regarding breast cancer facts and the proper performance of breast self-examination (BSE). Educational efforts are first directed at nurses who are then encouraged to transmit this information to women and their partners in the community. The program combines a lecture and demonstration with more informal small group discussions that allow for individual demonstrations of the technique of BSE. Follow-up of both nurse and lay participants by means of telephone interviews has shown that women can be motivated to practice BSE, and be made aware of proper techniques.