Men on Blue: Knowledge, Belief, Fear, Perceived Attitude of Men to Prostate Cancer Screening and Awareness in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

Background and context: In Nigeria, cancer leads to >72,000 deaths per annum (30,924 for male and 40,647 for female). This number is set to increase given that there are 102,000 new cases of cancer every year. The estimated incidence for prostate cancer is (12%) and estimated mortality prostate (13%). Prostate cancer is the third leading cancer death in Nigeria and the leading cause of cancer deaths in Nigerian men. However, very little or nothing is said about prostate cancer in Nigeria. Every October, virtually all cancer NGOs roll out their drums of awareness focused on breast cancer, prostate cancer is always missing, while several men die in silence and pain because their prostate cancer was discovered at late stages. Men on Blue is a health intervention focused on closing the gap of awareness, education and screenings for prostate cancer in rural communities of Lagos, Abuja and Enugu. The intervention will use 3 core strategies, such as: prostate cancer awareness, prostate cancer screenings and social media campaigns. Our target is to screen 2000 men, reach 20,000 men directly, reach 30,000 women and youth directly in rural communities of Lagos, Abuja and Enugu and 5 million indirectly through traditional and social media in Nigeria. Aim: To reduce the incidence of prostate cancer through the creation of a platform for prostate cancer awareness, screening and support in Nigeria. Program/Policy process: The program use focused on phasing out late diagnosis of prostate cancer through screenings outreaches in local communities in Nigeria. Men are always missing in cancer awareness and programs, hence, the program will bring men to the fore of cancer awareness. Outcomes: It is expected that this program will increase the level of prostate cancer awareness in Nigeria through the translation of information materials in local languages, engage men to lead the campaign and the use of strategic social media campaign. What was learned: Preliminary results of the planning process of the program, showed that several men are battling with prostate cancer, however, very few is said about them and they are dying in silence. Their voice need to be heard in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dying To Be Men: Masculinity and Early Cancer Detection Among Nigerian Men

“…Cancer is best treated as early as possible to increase chances of survival, making early screening critical for best health outcomes. Currently, Nigeria’s health system is under immense strain and incapable of meeting the health needs of Nigerians, 13,15 and there is need for cheaper, effective, culturally relevant health interventions, especially in the area of cancer prevention and control. As such, early campaigns within men-dominated spaces (e.g., barbershops, traders’ association) may be beneficial to promote normalization of personal care and health-seeking practice.…”

“…15,19,20 Other factors such as lack of access to health care have been reported to impact the health outcomes of most Nigerians. 13,15 However, in this study, our focus is on psychosocial factors influencing cancer detection behaviors such as cancer screening among Nigerian men. Although there are studies on cancer screening and men in Nigeria, 13,15,20 to the best of our knowledge, none examined the impact of psychosocial factors (e.g., masculinity, attachment) on cancer detection/ screening uptake by Nigerian men.…”

“…39,40 Due to the high level of conformity to masculinity norms, their potential of adopting help-seeking behaviors such as cancer detection behaviors is low. 40 Other studies describing patterns of cancer detection behavior among Nigerian men show that in comparison to their female counterparts, they experience more late and fatal stage diagnoses and mortality, 13,15 with prostate cancer as the most diagnosed type of cancer in Nigerian men. 8,10,16,20 Research examining incidence and mortality due to cancer is gaining awareness in Nigeria.…”

“…7 Nonetheless, information emanating from the Nigerian health sector shows that the incidence and prevalence of cancer in Nigeria are increasing at an alarming rate, especially among men. 13–15 Nigerian cancer profile showed that among its population of about 20,09,63,603 the total reported cancer cases in 2018 were 115,950 and there were 70,327 cancer deaths. 16 The health burden of cancer on Nigerians is similar to the health burden due to other non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, communicable diseases such as malaria, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), and Hepatitis.…”

“…18 The limited past research focusing on Nigerian men indicates that possible explanations for the trends in incidence and mortality due to cancer among Nigerian men are late or fatal stage diagnoses, lack of screening programs, and the erroneous assumptions that cancers are part of the aging process. 15,19,20 Other factors such as lack of access to health care have been reported to impact the health outcomes of most Nigerians. 13,15 However, in this study, our focus is on psychosocial factors influencing cancer detection behaviors such as cancer screening among Nigerian men.…”