Abstract:
Background: Prostate cancer (PC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men 40
years and above. Incidence and mortality rates are higher in African men as they grow older.
PC is amenable to early detection by screening which can prevent and reduce cancer deaths.
Unfortunately, it is often detected late in the Ghanaian population due to lack of voluntary
screening. This study assessed the knowledge and practices of PC screening uptake among
men in the LMKM in the Eastern Region of Ghana.
Method: The study employed a cross-sectional design that used quantitative methods
(structured questionnaire) to collect data from 363 respondents using a multistage sampling
technique. Chi-square test statistics were used to estimate the association between the
knowledge, practices and perception (dependent variables) and socio-demographic
characteristics (independent variable) of respondents. Multiple binary logistic regression
model was used to measure the strength of association between the variables at a 95%
Confidence Interval.
Results: The majority (79.3%) of respondents were of the Ga-Adangme ethnic group, were
in the 40-49 years age bracket (44.4%) and married (70.8%). Except for age group, marital
status, ethnicity and number of biological children, all socio-demographic characteristics
were significantly associated with PC screening uptake (p<0.05) but there was no significant
association between socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge level on PC (p>0.05).
Only religious affiliation and family history of PC were significantly associated with
perceptions on PC.
Conclusion: The study showed that most men in the LMKM were aware of prostate cancer.
This, however, did not translate into practice. Public Health interventions should have MOH
liaise with the NHIS to roll out a free PC screening and prevention program in the District
hospitals to ensure early screening.
