Objectives: Accurate medical information is essential among health care
professionals to aid dissemination of information to the public. This
study aimed to determine the level of knowledge about breast cancer and
to identify related factors among undergraduate health sciences
students in a public university in Terengganu, Malaysia. Methods: The
respondents included students aged 18 years old or older who were
enrolled in nursing, medical laboratory technician (MLT) and
radiography diploma programmes. A Breast Cancer and Chemotherapy
Questionnaire (BCCQ) was administered; higher scores on it indicated
better knowledge. The reliability and validity of the BCCQ was
considered adequate. Descriptive statistics, independent t test,
one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and multiple logistic regressions
were employed (SPSS 16). Results: A total of 239 respondents
participated (mean age = 19.8 ± 0.1 years; females = 83.7%). The
knowledge level was moderate. Females, nursing, and final-year students
possessed significantly better knowledge. After adjusting for
covariates, significant factors determining good breast cancer
knowledge include being in the nursing discipline and years of study.
Conclusion: This study has generally ascertained that knowledge related
to breast cancer and chemotherapy among this sample population remains
moderate and is not uniformly disseminated. An increase in knowledge is
required to ensure an optimal level of knowledge, particularly for the
junior students and those from courses other than nursing