Background: Breast cancer poses a significant public health challenge in Tanzania. Catholic nuns, who are often nulliparous represent a population with an increased risk of developing breast cancer. Despite this risk, they remain an understudied group regarding breast cancer awareness and screening practices.

Objective:  This study aimed to assess breast cancer knowledge and attitudes toward screening practices among Catholic nuns residing in Tanzania's Lake Zone.

Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design with random sampling to recruit Catholic nuns residing in the Lake Zone of Tanzania.  A total of 385 catholic nuns participated in the study. Data was collected using a self-administered questionnaire and then analyzed using STATA version 18.0. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to draw conclusions. In inferential statistics, logistic regression was used to test for association between categorical variables. The test statistics were considered significant when the p-value was less than 0.05 at a 95% confidence interval.

Results: This study enrolled 385 catholic nuns. 57.1% (95%CI, 52.0%-62.1%) of all surveyed catholic nuns had inadequate knowledge of breast cancer. Misconceptions also emerged as significant risk factors for inadequate knowledge. Thus, lack of awareness of breast cancer risk factors increased the odds by 5.57 times (AOR: 5.57; 95% CI: 2.84-10.92; p<0.001). Additionally, believing cancer was not inheritable (AOR: 2.65; 95% CI: 1.14-6.15; p=0.024), misperceiving oneself as being in a low-risk group (AOR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.03-2.66; p=0.039), and underestimating the vulnerable age group (believing it's not above 40 years) (AOR: 2.60; 95% CI: 1.49-4.51; p=0.001) were all significantly associated with higher odds of inadequate knowledge.  Regards the attitude towards breast cancer screening practices 62.3% (95%CI, 57.3%-67.2%) of the catholic nuns had negative attitudes.

Conclusion: These findings highlight the need for breast health intervention educational programs to improve breast cancer awareness among Catholic nuns. 

Keywords:  Breast cancer, Knowledge and Attitudes, Breast Cancer Screening, Catholic nuns, Lake Zone Tanzania. 

Sr Gotfrida M. Marandu is a seasoned nurse and midwife with over 20 years of experience, her dedication to advancing healthcare in Tanzania is evident in her roles at the Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences.Holding a BSc in Nursing, MSc in Nursing Education, and pursuing a PhD, Sr. Marandu is a respected academic. Her research and teaching focus on breast health promotion and cancer screening, reflecting her commitment to improving reproductive and child health outcomes.With over 6 publications cited over 100 times, Sr. Marandu's work has significantly impacted the field. She continues to supervise undergraduate nursing research in these areas, nurturing the next generation of healthcare professionals. Her passion for learning and making a positive difference drives her ongoing contributions to nursing.