Knowledge, beliefs and practices of health sciences and medical students regarding testicular cancer and testicular self-examination

Abstract

Background: Testicular cancer (TC) is one of the most prevalent malignancies among young men. If diagnosed early, this type of cancer is highly curable and can be detected by testicular self-examination (TSE). For early detection, it is necessary to do routine self-examination. Men may fail to identify TC in its early stages because they lack knowledge about this illness and TSE techniques. Objectives: To evaluate the level of knowledge, beliefs and practices regarding TC and TSE among health sciences and medical students. Design: A quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional design. Data was collected through an online questionnaire. A total of 108 questionnaires were received with a response rate of 19%. Participants: All male students registered with the Faculty of Health Sciences and male medical students registered with the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery. Results: Out of 108 participants, most had poor knowledge regarding TC and TSE and only 19.6% claimed that they ever carried out TSE. The most perceived barrier was a lack of knowledge on how to do the self-examination. The majority of the participants expressed favourable beliefs with regard to TC and TSE. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups on any given TC and TSE knowledge question. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of TSE practice level as well as their beliefs. Results showed a strong correlation between age, knowledge, beliefs, and practice. Yet, these are not significantly associated with source of knowledge. Finally, tests showed a positive correlation between knowledge and beliefs, positive correlation between beliefs and practice, positive correlation between knowledge and practice. Conclusion: The study findings shows a lack of knowledge with regard to TC and TSE. Practice level of self-examination is low. The opportunity for early detection of TC is significantly missed due to a lack of knowledge and practice. Routine TSE is essential for the early detection of TC. Thus, it is essential to carry out extensive educational campaigns and to review the educational curriculum on TC and TSE techniques among these young male students.