Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Feb 10:4:67.
doi: 10.1186/s40064-015-0824-y. eCollection 2015.

Knowledge of prostate cancer among males attending a urology clinic, a South African study

Nathaniel Mofolo  1 , Olwethu Betshu  2 , Ogomoditse Kenna  2 , Sarah Koroma  2 , Tlalane Lebeko  2 , Frederik M Claassen  3 , Gina Joubert  4
Affiliations

Knowledge of prostate cancer among males attending a urology clinic, a South African study

Nathaniel Mofolo et al. Springerplus. .

Abstract

Background: In South Africa, the rate of histologically diagnosed prostate cancer is 40.1 per 100 000 in whites and 14 per 100 000 in blacks. However, blacks have limited access to diagnostic facilities and present late with an advanced disease. Knowledge about prostate cancer in the South African male population is necessary in order to increase the acceptance of early prostate cancer screening.

Objective: This study assessed the knowledge of prostate cancer among men attending the urology outpatient clinic at a tertiary hospital in South Africa.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from February to March 2010. A structured questionnaire was administered to participants using consecutive sampling of eligible patients and consisted of sections on sociodemographic details and knowledge about prostate cancer. A total of 346 males, 35 years of age and older, participated in the study.

Results: The majority of the respondents (n = 258; 75.0%) were black, married (n = 220; 64.0%), from the Free State Province (n = 320; 92.8%), and had access to television (n = 248; 71.7%). Only 38 (11.0%) knew the three main symptoms and signs associated with prostate cancer. Level of school education, race and language were statistically significantly associated with level of knowledge whereas age and marital status were not.

Conclusion: More than half (54.4%) of the respondents had not heard of prostate cancer. The majority of men who had heard of prostate cancer had a moderate level of knowledge. The factors significantly associated with level of knowledge need to be considered in educational campaigns, prostate cancer screening and treatment.

Keywords: Cancer; Knowledge; Outpatient; Prostate; South Africa.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Agho AO, Lewis MA. Correlates of actual and perceived knowledge of prostate cancer among African Americans. Cancer Nurs. 2001;24:165–171. doi: 10.1097/00002820-200106000-00001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ajape AA, Babata AL, Abiola OO. Knowledge of prostate cancer screening among native African urban population in Nigeria. Nig Q J Hosp Med. 2010;20(2):94–96. doi: 10.4314/nqjhm.v20i2.58044. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ali S, Ali S. Multidimensional approaches in dealing with prostate cancer. Gene. 2008;410:1–8. doi: 10.1016/j.gene.2007.11.020. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Deibert CM, Maliski S, Kwan L, Fink A, Connor SE, Litwin MS. Prostate cancer knowledge among low-income minority men. J Urol. 2007;177:1851–1855. doi: 10.1016/j.juro.2007.01.062. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Goddard J, Tuner AN, Cumming AD, Steward LH. Kidney and urinary tract disease. In: Nicolas AB, Nikki RC, Brain RW, editors. Davidson’s principles and practice of medicine. 20. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2006. pp. 511–512.

LinkOut - more resources