Reactions to Recommendations and Evidence About Prostate Cancer Screening Among White and Black Male Veterans
U.S. clinical guidelines recommend that prior to screening for prostate cancer with Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), men should have an informed discussion about the potential benefits and harms of screening. Prostate cancer disproportionately affects Black men. To understand how White and Black men...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2021-06-01
|
| Series: | American Journal of Men's Health |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883211022110 |
| _version_ | 1818643862061580288 |
|---|---|
| author | Elisheva R. Danan MD, MPH Katie M. White EdD, MBA Timothy J. Wilt MD Melissa R. Partin PhD |
| author_facet | Elisheva R. Danan MD, MPH Katie M. White EdD, MBA Timothy J. Wilt MD Melissa R. Partin PhD |
| author_sort | Elisheva R. Danan MD, MPH |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | U.S. clinical guidelines recommend that prior to screening for prostate cancer with Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), men should have an informed discussion about the potential benefits and harms of screening. Prostate cancer disproportionately affects Black men. To understand how White and Black men reacted to a draft educational pamphlet about the benefits and harms of PSA screening, we conducted race-specific focus groups at a midwestern VA medical center in 2013 and 2015. White and Black men who had been previously screened reviewed the draft pamphlet using a semistructured focus group facilitator guide. Forty-four men, ages 55–81, participated in four White and two Black focus groups. Three universal themes were: low baseline familiarity with prostate cancer, surprise and resistance to the recommendations not to test routinely, and negative emotions in response to ambiguity. Discussions of benefits and harms of screening, as well as intentions for exercising personal agency in prevention and screening, diverged between White and Black focus groups. Discussion in White groups highlighted the potential benefits of screening, minimized the harms, and emphasized personal choice in screening decisions. Participants in Black groups devoted almost no discussion to benefits, considered harms significant, and emphasized personal and collective responsibility for preventing cancer through diet, exercise, and alternative medicine. Discussion in Black groups also included the role of racism and discrimination in healthcare and medical research. These findings contribute to our understanding of how men’s varied perspectives and life experiences affect their responses to prostate cancer screening information. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T00:05:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2f42040ed38348608ed04c9cc8698ccd |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1557-9891 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T00:05:41Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | American Journal of Men's Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-2f42040ed38348608ed04c9cc8698ccd2022-12-21T22:10:57ZengSAGE PublishingAmerican Journal of Men's Health1557-98912021-06-011510.1177/15579883211022110Reactions to Recommendations and Evidence About Prostate Cancer Screening Among White and Black Male VeteransElisheva R. Danan MD, MPH0Katie M. White EdD, MBA1Timothy J. Wilt MD2Melissa R. Partin PhD3Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USADivision of Health Policy and Management, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, MN, USADepartment of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USADepartment of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USAU.S. clinical guidelines recommend that prior to screening for prostate cancer with Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA), men should have an informed discussion about the potential benefits and harms of screening. Prostate cancer disproportionately affects Black men. To understand how White and Black men reacted to a draft educational pamphlet about the benefits and harms of PSA screening, we conducted race-specific focus groups at a midwestern VA medical center in 2013 and 2015. White and Black men who had been previously screened reviewed the draft pamphlet using a semistructured focus group facilitator guide. Forty-four men, ages 55–81, participated in four White and two Black focus groups. Three universal themes were: low baseline familiarity with prostate cancer, surprise and resistance to the recommendations not to test routinely, and negative emotions in response to ambiguity. Discussions of benefits and harms of screening, as well as intentions for exercising personal agency in prevention and screening, diverged between White and Black focus groups. Discussion in White groups highlighted the potential benefits of screening, minimized the harms, and emphasized personal choice in screening decisions. Participants in Black groups devoted almost no discussion to benefits, considered harms significant, and emphasized personal and collective responsibility for preventing cancer through diet, exercise, and alternative medicine. Discussion in Black groups also included the role of racism and discrimination in healthcare and medical research. These findings contribute to our understanding of how men’s varied perspectives and life experiences affect their responses to prostate cancer screening information.https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883211022110 |
| spellingShingle | Elisheva R. Danan MD, MPH Katie M. White EdD, MBA Timothy J. Wilt MD Melissa R. Partin PhD Reactions to Recommendations and Evidence About Prostate Cancer Screening Among White and Black Male Veterans American Journal of Men's Health |
| title | Reactions to Recommendations and Evidence About Prostate Cancer Screening Among White and Black Male Veterans |
| title_full | Reactions to Recommendations and Evidence About Prostate Cancer Screening Among White and Black Male Veterans |
| title_fullStr | Reactions to Recommendations and Evidence About Prostate Cancer Screening Among White and Black Male Veterans |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reactions to Recommendations and Evidence About Prostate Cancer Screening Among White and Black Male Veterans |
| title_short | Reactions to Recommendations and Evidence About Prostate Cancer Screening Among White and Black Male Veterans |
| title_sort | reactions to recommendations and evidence about prostate cancer screening among white and black male veterans |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/15579883211022110 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elishevardananmdmph reactionstorecommendationsandevidenceaboutprostatecancerscreeningamongwhiteandblackmaleveterans AT katiemwhiteeddmba reactionstorecommendationsandevidenceaboutprostatecancerscreeningamongwhiteandblackmaleveterans AT timothyjwiltmd reactionstorecommendationsandevidenceaboutprostatecancerscreeningamongwhiteandblackmaleveterans AT melissarpartinphd reactionstorecommendationsandevidenceaboutprostatecancerscreeningamongwhiteandblackmaleveterans |