Addressing the Challenge of Informed Decision Making in Prostate Cancer Community Outreach to African American Men

Abstract

African American men are disproportionately affected by prostate cancer. This project adopted a communitybased participatory approach to design and pilot test an educational outreach strategy that promotes informed decision making about screening among African American men in community settings in St. Louis, Missouri. Interviews with local subject matter experts informed the design of the strategy. The revised curriculum was pilot tested in 2009 with 63 men who completed pre-and posttest surveys that measured knowledge, norms, beliefs, decision self-efficacy, and screening intention. The intervention resulted in statistically significant improvement in prostate cancer knowledge, decreased perceived risks and barriers, and increased screening decision self-efficacy. The educational outreach strategy offered in community settings was effective in improving knowledge, beliefs, and decision self-efficacy related to prostate cancer screening. This project sought to devise a screening outreach strategy that struck a balance between the imperatives of informed decision-making goals and the pragmatics of community settings. The findings suggest the need for further research to assess the effectiveness of communitybased outreach efforts in enhancing engagement of men in decision making related to screening, diagnostics, and treatment.

African American Men’s and Women’s Perceptions of Clinical Trials Research: Focusing on Prostate Cancer among a High-Risk Population in the South

“…In a recent systematic review of 397 papers (37 studies), which discussed recruitment strategies, money was shown to significantly improve recruitment of patients into clinical trials. 70 Other studies also have shown money to be a motivating factor. 71, 72 However, no prior studies found that money alone increased the recruitment of African Americans.…”

Choosing Channels, Sources, and Content for Communicating Prostate Cancer Information to Black Men: A Systematic Review of the Literature

“…( Song et al, 2015 ). Prostate cancer information also can be successfully shared via interpersonal communication in familiar cultural settings such as barbershops, churches, and fraternal group meetings ( Cowart, Brown, & Biro, 2004 ; Meade, Calvo, Rivera, & Baer, 2003 ; Releford, Frencher, & Yancey, 2010 ; Woods et al, 2004 ; Wray, Vijaykumar, Jupka, Zellin, & Shahid, 2011 ).…”

“…Six studies specifically noted the importance of stressing early detection of prostate cancer in communication to Black men ( Drake et al, 2010 ; Griffith et al, 2007 ; Kripalani et al, 2007; Miller et al, 2014; Odedina, Campbell, LaRose-Pierre, Scrivens, & Hill, 2008 ; Wray et al, 2011 ). In particular, participants in Griffith et al’s (2007) study said that Black men need to know that early detection gives them options and that having prostate cancer does not mean losing control over one’s life.…”

“…Another recurring message across the studies was that prostate cancer messages should be couched in terms of empowerment and should encourage men’s “ownership” of the disease ( Bryan et al, 2008 ; Friedman, Corwin, Rose, & Dominick, 2009 ; Griffith et al, 2007 ; Odedina et al, 2008 ; Underwood, 1992 ; Wray et al, 2011 ). A related idea was that prostate cancer messages should stress recovery and the likelihood of survival ( Bryan et al, 2008 ; Marks et al, 2004 ).…”

A pilot study of prostate cancer knowledge among African American men and their health care advocates: implications for screening decisions

“…When deciding whether or not to participate in PCa screening, knowledge is crucial to the decision-making process. 9 Wray et al 11 reported low levels of knowledge among most AA men about PCa, risk factors, screening and treatment options. Oliver, et al 10 found that “not understanding what was involved in PCa screening”, and beliefs about pain and embarrassment were reported by rural AA men as reasons for not participating in PCa screening.…”