Exploring prostate cancer screening among men in Accra using the health belief model

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.