Best Practice in Teaching Male Adolescents and Young Men to Perform Testicular Self-Examinations: A Review

Thornton, Clifton P.

doi:10.1016/j.pedhc.2015.11.009

Cited by 31 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…Male adolescents are a group of particular concern, as they have higher levels of unmet healthcare needs (Mulye et al ., ) and less interest in prevention. Testicular examination is rarely performed by primary care providers (Bell et al ., ), and self‐examination is rarely suggested (Thornton, ); however, incidence of testicular cancer is at its peak in the third decade of life, just after the end of puberty. While more complex imaging techniques, such as testicular contrast‐enhanced magnetic resonance (Manganaro et al ., ) or elastography (Pozza et al ., ), might help diagnose more suspicious lesions, self‐examination of the testis should be recommended for early prevention (Aberger et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk behaviours and alcohol in adolescence are negatively associated with testicular volume: results from the Amico‐Andrologo survey

et al. 2019

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Amico-Andrologo' Study Group details are given in Acknowledgements section.ABSTRACT Background: Risk factors established during adolescence affect health outcomes in adulthood, although little is known about how adolescent health risk behaviours (HRBs) affect testicular development and reproductive health. Objectives: To assess prevalence of HRBs among last year high school students; to describe the most prevalent andrological disorders in this cohort; to explore HRBs associated with andrological disorders and investigate factors possibly associated with impaired testicular development in puberty. Materials and methods: The Amico-Andrologo Survey is a permanent nationwide surveillance programme conducted by the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine and supported by the Ministry of Health. A nationally representative survey of finalyear male high school students was conducted using a validated structured interview (n = 10124) and medical examination (n = 3816). Results: Smoking (32.6%), drinking (80.6%) and use of illegal drugs (46.5%) are common in adolescence. 16.6% of subjects were overweight, 3.1% were underweight and 2.3% were obese. Among sexually active students (60.3%), unprotected sex was very common (48.3%). Only 11.6% had been treated for andrological disorders, despite an abnormal clinical examination in 34.6%. Bilateral testicular hypotrophy (14.0%), varicocoele (27.1%) and phimosis (7.1%) were the most prevalent disorders; 5.1% complained of premature ejaculation and 4.7% had an STI. Underweight and heavy alcohol or drug use were associated with testicular hypotrophy. HRBs emerged as significant predictors of testicular hypotrophy, explaining up to 9.6% of its variance. Limitations include risk of selection bias for voluntary physical examination and recall bias for the self-compiled questionnaire. Discussion: There is an emerging global adverse trend of HRBs in male high school students. A significant proportion of adolescent males with unsuspected andrological disorders engage in behaviours that could impair testicular development. Conclusion: Greater attention to the prevention of andrological health in adolescence is needed.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk behaviours and alcohol in adolescence are negatively associated with testicular volume: results from the Amico‐Andrologo survey

et al. 2019

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“…1.9% of young males in Turkey, 8.5% of males in Iran, 12.3% of male students in France [9,[30][31][32]. The testicular self-examination was found to be most popular among British, Irish, and Hungarian students; however, the rate is still very low, with only ca.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is crucially important that programs regarding male genital diseases should be prepared and conducted by well-trained teachers, who should employ interactive tools instead of standard theoretical training [15]. Moreover, the teachers should be empathic and avoid cheeky humor or jokes regarding genitals [31].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does cancer education matter? Report on testicular cancer knowledge, awareness, and self-examination practice among young Polish men.

Pietrzyk

Denisow-Pietrzyk

Czeczelewski

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background Testicular cancer (TC) is the most common malignancy and the third leading cause of cancer deaths in male adolescents and young adults. Early detection of testicular cancer can be achieved by testicular self-examination (TSE). To date, however, no population-based studies examined TC knowledge and practice of TSE among Polish men. The objective of the study was to assess the level of TC knowledge and awareness as well as the altitude and practice towards TSE among Polish male high school and medical students.Methods A questionnaire survey was conducted in Poland with a representative sample of 1077 male students: 335 from high school and 742 medical students. An original questionnaire was designed as a multiple-choice question type and evaluated the participants’ knowledge and awareness of TC, opinion and attitudes towards performing TSE.Results The knowledge about TC epidemiology and the awareness of risk factors responsible for the TC was low. The knowledge of the signs and symptoms of TC was significantly higher among the medical students, compared to the high school students. The level of education was associated with the awareness of methods for early detection and symptoms of TC. A satisfactory level of awareness of the TSE practice was exhibited only by the medical students. The main reason for not performing self-examination was the lack of knowledge and practical skills.Conclusions The study reflects the deficiencies in health education among high school and medical students. The deficits of knowledge of TC in young men should motivate the education policy makers in Poland to implement education in the field of TC issues more widely in high schools. Moreover, cancer prevention modules and/or teaching methods should be improved in medical schools.

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“…Overall, participants were open to learning about testicular disorders and recommended interventions that are brief, interactive, simple, and light-hearted rather than funny/cheeky 46 . Thornton warned against the use of "cheeky" humour and puns as these can be potentially offensive and ineffective 47 . Another factor that should be considered in the design and delivery of health promotion interventions is the literacy and health literacy levels of men.…”

Section: Summary Of Evidencementioning

confidence: 99%

Promoting men’s awareness, self-examination, and help-seeking for testicular disorders: a systematic review of interventions

et al. 2018

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Background: Testicular cancer (TC) is commonly diagnosed among men aged 15-40 years. The incidence of TC is on the rise. Benign testicular disorders such as testicular torsion and epididymitis can lead to testicular ischemia, sepsis, and infertility if left untreated. This systematic review aims to evaluate the effectiveness of studies promoting men’s knowledge and awareness of testicular disorders and/or self-examination, behaviours and/or intentions to examine their testes, and help-seeking behaviours and/or intentions for testicular symptoms. Methods: Academic Search Complete, Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO, ERIC, the Cochrane Library, the World Health Organisation International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, Clinicaltrials.gov, Grey Literature Report, and Open Grey were searched for studies published between November 2014 and April 2018. The methodological quality and level of evidence per outcome were assessed. Results: There were five papers included: two were experimental studies, two were systematic reviews, and one was an integrative review. The majority of the reviewed interventions were successful in increasing men’s awareness of TC and self-examination. Examples include a television show featuring a celebrity with TC, a university campaign, and interactive educational sessions. The impact of the reviewed interventions on health beliefs (i.e. perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, and self-efficacy) varied across the reviewed literature. Studies promoting help-seeking for testicular symptoms and awareness of benign testicular disorders were lacking. Conclusions: This review highlights the importance of evaluating educational interventions aimed at younger men, whilst raising their awareness of testicular disorders and increasing their help-seeking intentions for testicular symptoms. Given the lack of consensus around scheduled testicular self-examination among younger men, clinicians are encouraged to instruct men to familiarise themselves with the look and feel of their own testes and to seek timely medical attention for abnormalities. Registration: The review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) under the registration number CRD42018093671.

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Best Practice in Teaching Male Adolescents and Young Men to Perform Testicular Self-Examinations: A Review

Cited by 31 publications

References 19 publications

Risk behaviours and alcohol in adolescence are negatively associated with testicular volume: results from the Amico‐Andrologo survey

Risk behaviours and alcohol in adolescence are negatively associated with testicular volume: results from the Amico‐Andrologo survey

Does cancer education matter? Report on testicular cancer knowledge, awareness, and self-examination practice among young Polish men.

Promoting men’s awareness, self-examination, and help-seeking for testicular disorders: a systematic review of interventions

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