Men's knowledge about prostate cancer: a case study of rural Mhondoro-Ngezi, Kadoma District, Zimbabwe

Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Imams on Prostate Cancer in Kahramanmaras, Turkey

Imams are Muslim religious leaders in Turkey, who have a significant influence on society's healthcare attitudes and behavior, and all of them are male. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of Imams toward prostate cancer (PCa) in order to evaluate their contribution to the fight against PCa in one part of Turkey. This study was carried out on 287 Imams serving in Kahramanmaraş Province in Turkey. A questionnaire investigating the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants and their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors on PCa was conducted. The mean age of Imams was 40.46 ± 8.93 (min = 22, max = 60). Of the participants, 266 (92.7%) said they had heard of PCa, and 16 (5.6%) had heard of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test. The majority of Imam's had poor knowledge regarding PCa. The knowledge score of Imams did not change according to marital status (p = 0.304) or education level (p = 0.16), but the knowledge score significantly increased with age groups (as age increased) (p = 0.010). Results of the present study revealed that Imams lack significant knowledge on PCa. Training on PCa should be organized for Imams, and the issuance of fatwa for PCa should be encouraged. The coordinated work of media, medical personnel, religious officials, and religious schools on PCa will be an important factor in the fight against PCa.

Awareness of prostate cancer and its associated factors among men 40 years of age and older in Mizan Aman town, Bench Sheko zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region, South West Ethiopia, 2019

Background

Prostate cancer is a common cause of morbidity and mortality among men aged 40 years and older. Evidence has shown that awareness of prostate cancer plays a greater role in the early detection of prostate cancer. However, there is a paucity of information regarding prostate cancer awareness levels in Ethiopia in general and in Mizan Aman town in particular.

Objectives

To assess the awareness of prostate cancer and its associated factors among men aged 40 years and older in Mizan Aman, Bench Sheko zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region, South West Ethiopia, 2019.

Methods

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 to 30 April 2021 in Mizan Aman town. A total of 322 study subjects were selected from a total population of 1,242 in Mizan Aman town by using the simple random sampling method. Data were collected through a face-to-face interview using a structured questionnaire. Data were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Science version 20. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize sociodemographic characteristics and personal history. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were used to explore further variables that were associated with the level of awareness. Significant associations were declared at a p-value of <0.05. The results were presented in text, tables, and charts.

Results

The magnitude of prostate cancer awareness was 64%. Participants who were between 40 and 55 years of age (adjusted odd ratio = 6.16, 95% confidence interval = 2.62–14.47), who were government employees (adjusted odd ratio = 4.684, 95% confidence interval = 1.56–13.97), and whose monthly income level is greater than 5,000 birr (adjusted odd ratio = 12.45, 95% confidence interval = 3.2–47.77) were significantly associated with the level of awareness.

Conclusion and recommendation

This study revealed that more than half of the men residing in Mizan Aman town had a high level of prostate cancer awareness. First-category age, better economic status, and employment were significantly associated with awareness of prostate cancer. This indicates the need for a collective effort to enhance the awareness of men regarding prostate cancer.

Changing men or changing health systems? A scoping review of interventions, services and programmes targeting men's health in sub-Saharan Africa

BACKGROUND

Sex and gender have been shown to influence health literacy, health seeking behaviour, and health outcomes. However, research examining the links between gender and health has mainly focused on women's health, which is a long-standing global health priority. We examine literature focused on the 'missing men' in global health research, in particular empirical studies that document interventions, programmes, and services targeting men's health issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. Within these studies, we identify dominant conceptualisations of men and men's health and how these have influenced the design of men's health interventions and services.

METHODS

This is a scoping review of published and grey literature. Following comprehensive searches, we included 56 studies in the review. We conducted a bibliographic analysis of all studies and used inductive methods to analyse textual excerpts referring to conceptualizations of men and service design. An existing framework to categorise services, interventions, or programs according to their gender-responsiveness was adapted and used for the latter analysis.

RESULTS

From the included studies, we distinguished four principal ways in which men were conceptualized in programs and interventions: men are variously depicted as 'gatekeepers'; 'masculine' men, 'marginal' men and as 'clients. Additionally, we classified the gender-responsiveness of interventions, services or programmes described in the studies within the following categories: gender-neutral, -partnering, -sensitive and -transformative. Interventions described are predominantly gender-neutral or gender-partnering, with limited data available on transformative interventions. Health systems design features - focused mainly on achieving women's access to, and uptake of services - may contribute to the latter gap leading to poor access and engagement of men with health services.

CONCLUSION

This review highlights the need for transformation in sub-Saharan African health systems towards greater consideration of men's health issues and health-seeking patterns.

Breast cancer awareness in the sub-Saharan African ABC-DO cohort: African Breast Cancer-Disparities in Outcomes study

A greater understanding of the nature and drivers of poor breast cancer (BC) awareness in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) will inform much needed awareness programmes. We aimed to assess the level and nature of BC awareness in the multi-country African Breast Cancer-Disparities in Outcome (ABC-DO) cohort of women newly diagnosed with BC during 2014-2017. Awareness indicators were assessed during a baseline interview at/near diagnosis. Logistic/ordinal regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) for indicators of BC awareness in relation to woman-level characteristics for individual settings and then meta-analyzed. In the 1,451 women included, almost all Namibian non-black women (n = 104) knew of BC and its curability, while in Namibian black and Zambian women, one in 7 (~ 15%) had not previously heard of BC and 25-40% did not know it was curable. In Uganda and Nigeria awareness was lowest: one in four women had no BC awareness, and 2 in 3 had no knowledge of its cure potential. Low educational level, unskilled employment, low socioeconomic position, rural residence, older age, being unmarried, and in some settings HIV-positivity, were associated with lower BC awareness-e.g., having unskilled employment was associated with not having heard of BC (summary OR 3.37; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.17-5.23), believing that it is incurable (2.43; 1.81-3.26), and not recognizing a breast lump symptom (1.85; 1.41-2.43) but with between-setting variation (I2 > 68% for all). The findings provide evidence of the level and difference in BC awareness and beliefs across different settings, highlighting the urgent need for context-specific education programmes in the SSA region.