Effectiveness of a comprehensive breast cancer-screening class for women residing in rural areas

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of two different educational methods on the variables of knowledge gains of breast self-examination as a cancer-screening device and the subsequent frequency of breast self-examination for women living in rural areas. Two educational methods were used: (A) a comprehensive class and (B) an information session using a brochure. The experimental group attended a comprehensive class on breast cancer screening that included a presentation where one of the investigators used American Cancer Society materials and modeled breast self-examination. The comparison group attended an information session in which a brochure by the American Cancer Society was given to the women as the educational modality. The sample was one of convenience and was comprised of 103 women living in rural areas. The experimental group included 50 women and the comparison group was made up of 53 women. The findings indicated that each group made significant gains in knowledge from the pretest to the posttest with the teaching method used. Each group retained approximately the same amount of knowledge at the 3-month follow-up test, and each group had an increased frequency of performing breast self-examination.