ASPO Abstracts
Prostate Cancer Knowledge among Men Residing in Neighborhoods with a High Burden of Prostate Cancer
Category: Cancer Health Disparities
Conference Year: 2019
Abstract Body:
Purpose: Prostate cancer (PCa) awareness and knowledge varies by individual and neighborhood-level characteristics. Increasing PCa knowledge may decrease disparities related to late-stage PCa diagnosis. The goal of this study was to examine PCa knowledge among men that live in neighborhoods with a high burden of PCa. Methods: We recruited 240 men residing in high burden neighborhoods (based on incidence, mortality and tumor aggressiveness) for PCa in Philadelphia. The study participants had no personal history of PCa. We administered a survey to evaluate sample demographics and knowledge and beliefs about PCa. Knowledge scores were computed at baseline and post education session by taking the sum of correct answer indicators (10 points per correct response) on a 10-item questionnaire designed for assessing PCa knowledge (i.e., a 100 point knowledge scale). We calculated knowledge if at least half of the questions were answered. Missing responses were considered incorrect responses. We used Kruskal-Wallis tests to examine differences in PCa knowledge by possible modifiers, including age group (<age 53 vs. age 53+), marital status, education status, previous prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening , and neighborhood of residence. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The median age of the sample was 53 (range 27-83).Ninety-two percent of the sample was African American. The median knowledge score was 80 (range 30-100). There were no differences in PCa knowledge by age group (p=0.71), marital status (p=0.63), neighborhood of residence (0.710), or history of PSA test (0.95). However, PCa knowledge differed by educational attainment. Men with more than HS education had higher PCa knowledge than those with less education (score 90 vs. 80, p=0.03). Conclusions: In these preliminary findings, general PCa knowledge was high among men who live in neighborhoods with a high burden of PCa. Higher educational attainment may be associated with higher PCa knowledge scores. More research is needed to assess bias from confounding and understand modifiable factors that influence PCa disparities.
Keywords: prostate cancerknowledgehigh risk men