ABSTRACT
Objective: To explore the prevalence of prostate cancer screening among Ghanaian men and interrogate why some individuals screen for the disease and others do not. Design: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey based on the Health Belief Model was used to collect data from 356 men aged 40 years and above. Data were collected between February and March 2021. Setting: The study was conducted in the Accra metropolitan area of the Greater Accra region of Ghana. Participants: Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants for the study. Results: Although 86% of the respondents had heard about prostate cancer, only 23% had ever screened for it. Logistic regression analysis suggested that knowledge of the disease (OR = 1.19, CI 95% = 1.03 -1.38) and barriers to screening (OR = .87, CI 95% = .83 -.91) were statistically significant predictors of screening behaviour. Conclusion: HBM has limited predictive power as far as our study is concerned. We suggest increasing public education on prostate cancer and its screening methods. The cost of screening should also be made more affordable so as not to become a barrier.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Prostatic NeoplasmsABSTRACT
In South Africa, dating violence is known to be widespread among adolescents, and is therefore a major public health issue because of its association with sexual risk behaviours. The objective of the study was to examine the relationship between dating violence and self-efficacy for delayed sex among school-going adolescents in Cape Town, South Africa. The study is based on analyses of data from a school-based health education programme targeting sexual and reproductive health issues.The study involved 3,655 school-going adolescents aged between 12 and 17 in Cape Town, South Africa. The data was collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire composed of 153 items on sexual and reproductive health, dating violence as well as socio demographic characteristics. The results indicated that males showed a higher percentage of both dating violence victimization and perpetration, as compared to females. It was also found that adolescents from lower socio-economic backgrounds were more likely to be the victims of dating violence as compared to those from a higher socio-economic background. Female learners showed higher levels of self-efficacy for delayed sex than their male counterparts. Although the result revealed that there was a significant association between self-efficacy for delayed sex and socio-economic status, this link decreased with age. It is concluded that educational programmes aimed solely at improving self-efficacy for delayed sex is insufficient. Such programmes must also aim at preventing dating violence and equipping adolescents with the skills to negotiate their way out of dating violence. Afr J Reprod Health 2014; 18[2]: 46-57)