A Survey of the Knowledge of African-American Women About Prostate Cancer Screening

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosed in men. Its incident and mortality rates are generally higher in populations of African descent. The scientific community recommends that men should be informed of the benefits, risks, and limitations of screening in order to make an informed decision regarding participation in prostate cancer screening. Women are known to act as the healthcare gatekeeper for the family. As such, African-American (AA) women could facilitate the informed decision-making process by providing prostate cancer and screening information to AA men. However, little is known about AA women's knowledge regarding prostate cancer and screening. This report describes the findings of a non-experimental cross-sectional study conducted using a convenience sample of 200 AA women. Data was collected using the knowledge subscale of the Eastland prostate cancer survey. Data was analyzed using JMP 13 statistical software developed by Statistical Analysis Systems (SAS) Institute. The overall mean knowledge score was 6.59 (47.1%). Knowledge was significantly associated with personal or family history of cancer (p = .02), family history of prostate cancer (p = .002), and the age of the respondents (p = .004) with those of older age (51 years and above) scoring higher on the knowledge scale. The results indicated that the AA women had a low knowledge of prostate cancer and screening. The findings indicate the need to develop and implement prostate cancer educational programs that include AA women.

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