title: What do women know about breast cancer prophylaxis and a healthy style of life?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to determine the factors influencing women's knowledge concerning breast cancer prophylaxis and find out the sources of the knowledge.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  In the Greater Poland region, breast cancer has been the most frequently detected tumour for years. The percentage of breast cancer cases has increased by 31% in the last decade.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study encompassed 337 women aged 40-59 who participated in the mammographic examinations. An original research tool was used which assessed the level of knowledge concerning breast cancer prophylaxis, the knowledge of health-oriented behaviour in this regard and the influence of the medical personnel on women's education.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Age is a factor diversifying the knowledge of the breast self-examination method. Doctors and nurses were rarely indicated as a source of knowledge concerning breast cancer prophylaxis. The subjects presented a high level of knowledge of the factors increasing the risk of developing cancer.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A correlation between the level of education and the knowledge of one's own breast to a degree which enables a woman to detect even a slight change was observed. Vital findings also concern the sources of knowledge concerning breast cancer prophylaxis. The results of the studies indicated little informative support on the part of the medical personnel; therefore, one should call for supplementing training courses for doctors and nurses focusing on the issues of prophylaxis, including the method of breast self-examination.
authors.affiliation: Department and Institute for Organization and Management in Health Care, Faculty of Health Sciences at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Smoluchowskiego 11, 60-179 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Jolanta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sielska
authors.affiliation: Department and Institute for Organization and Management in Health Care, Faculty of Health Sciences at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Smoluchowskiego 11, 60-179 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Matecka
authors.affiliation: Department and Institute for Organization and Management in Health Care, Faculty of Health Sciences at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Smoluchowskiego 11, 60-179 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Eliza
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dąbrowska
authors.affiliation: Department and Institute for Organization and Management in Health Care, Faculty of Health Sciences at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Smoluchowskiego 11, 60-179 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jakubek
authors.affiliation: Department and Institute for Organization and Management in Health Care, Faculty of Health Sciences at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Smoluchowskiego 11, 60-179 Poznan, Poland.
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Urbaniak
keywords: Breast cancer; Health-oriented behaviour; Prophylaxis