Differentiation of the Health Behavior Patterns Related to Prostate Cancer Screening among African-American Men in Military Settings

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to identify, describe, classify, and differentiate African-American men (AAM) in military settings according to the frequency with which they regularly, infrequently, or did not screen for prostate cancer using factors of the Health Belief Model. Participants in the study included 147 military health care beneficiaries who were AAM 40 years of age and older. Self-reporting questionnaires were used to collect data pertaining to the objectives. The results revealed that 85% of the men reported having screened for prostate cancer and more than 54% of them reported screening "annually." Discriminant analysis statistics revealed that age, education, and "perceived benefits" of the digital rectal examination and the prostate-specific antigen test best differentiated AAM who screened annually compared with nonscreeners. Educating AAM on the benefits and efficacy of the digital rectal examination and prostate-specific antigen tests may be helpful in increasing screening practices in this high-risk group.