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BackgroundBreast cancer is the primary cause of mortality in female patients around the world and the second most common cancer after lung cancer in both sexes. Socio-cultural factors contribute to the development, maintenance, and change of health behavior; knowledge, attitudes, and motivation are important individual determinants of health behavior change. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect of health belief model-based breast cancer education on knowledge, health belief, and breast self-examination among female students of Debre Markos University, Ethiopia, in 2021.MethodsA quasi-experimental study was conducted on 210 samples selected by simple random sampling; samples were assigned to an intervention group and a control group based on their cluster. Data were collected by self-administration questionnaire before and after intervention and then entered into Epi data version 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 25. A dependent t-test and an independent t-test were used. Difference in difference was used to assess the effect of the intervention.ResultsStatistically significant differences were observed between groups’ knowledge about breast cancer after educational intervention; monthly breast self-examination practice changes from 20.0% to 57.58% and 17.14% to 24.27% in intervention and control groups, respectively; and average scores of all health belief model constructs show a statistically significant change in the intervention group relative to controls after intervention. Overall knowledge increased by 6.24, perceived susceptibility increased by 4.67, perceived seriousness increased by 6.93, benefit of breast self-examination increased by 3.51, self-efficacy increased by 9.45, cues for action increased by 2.74, barriers of breast self-examination decreased by 3.61, and breast self-examination increased by 2.26 due to educational intervention.ConclusionThe health belief model-based education is an effective and efficient way to enhance students’ breast self-examination and promote knowledge and health beliefs about breast cancer. Based on the findings of this study, implementing a health belief model-based educational intervention about breast cancer at different phases of life is important to fight the disease.

Despite scaling up programmes to prevent vertical transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), over 400 children are infected every day globally. Guidelines recommend that all HIV-exposed infants should be tested within 4-6 weeks of birth. This meta-analysis aimed to explore concrete evidence on early diagnosis, pooled prevalence of HIV among HIV-exposed infants and its associated factors in Ethiopia following implementation of the Option B+ regime in 2013.: Electronic databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library were used to retrieve eligible articles. This meta-analysis was developed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines. Heterogeneity and publication bias were evaluated using Cochran's Q statistic quantified with inverse variance and Egger's statistical test. Random effect model meta-analysis was used to report the pooled estimate.: The pooled estimate of early diagnosis and prevalence of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV since implementation of the Option B+ regime in Ethiopia were 64.84% and 5.64%, respectively. No antenatal care [odds ratio (OR) 4.4], home delivery (OR 6.8), infant enrolment6 weeks after birth (OR 2.2), mixed feeding (OR 4.1) and no antiretroviral prophylaxis after birth (OR 13.2) were associated with increased risk of MTCT.: This review of 19 studies from six regions of Ethiopia found that only two-thirds of HIV-exposed infants were tested at ≤6 weeks of age. Although there has been a major reduction in the prevalence of MTCT of HIV since implementation of the Option B+ region, the pooled prevalence of MTCT of HIV remains higher than the WHO target of 5% among breastfeeding participants. From the evidence obtained in the 19 studies included in this review and international MTCT practice, recommendations to minimize the high prevalence of MTCT of HIV include encouraging antenatal care follow-up and institutional delivery; enrolling HIV-exposed infants immediately after delivery or at least before 6 weeks of age; promotion of exclusive breastfeeding; improving adherence to antiretroviral therapy during antenatal care, labour/delivery and breastfeeding; and increasing the provision of antiretroviral prophylaxis at birth for exposed neonates. A national representative study of MTCT of HIV for all regions of Ethiopia is needed to obtain an updated view of this programme.