African-American Men Prostate Cancer Study
Decision-Making Tool for Prostate Cancer Screening
Alton Hart Jr., M.D., M.P.H.
Principle investigator
Funding source
American Cancer Society
Specific aims
- To identify behavioral factors from the Preventive Health Model as well as specific cultural factors (e.g. mistrust of the health care system, fatalism) that might influence prostate cancer screening behavior in African-American men using qualitative methods
- To identify the most salient factors of the Preventive Health Model in predicting prostate cancer screening behavior by estimating the prevalence of key predictors of prostate cancer screening
- To develop the content of an interactive decision-making tool that provides information about the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening and treatment, using the research of specific aim No. 2
- To explore reactions of African-American men aged 40-70 years to an interactive decision-making tool that provides information about the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening and treatment
- To determine the differences in decision satisfaction about prostate cancer screening behavior before and after use of the prostate cancer screening decision-making tool
Significance
National data show that African-American men have a higher prostate cancer incidence and mortality compared to white men, present with more advanced disease and have a lower than five-year survival rate compared to white men. Due to the mortality data and controversies surrounding prostate cancer screening, it is imperative that African-American men be able to make informed decisions about early detection. To date, most studies involving preparatory educational aids have been conducted in clinical settings. By conducting this research in a community setting, we will focus on African-American men who could potentially be excluded from recruitment in a clinical setting because they lack routine health care for various reasons. Further, this project will be among the first to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a touchscreen computer with an interactive tool about prostate cancer, using principles of community-based participatory research in partnership with barbershops in the African-American community.