Understanding Prostate Cancer Screenings among African American Men: Combining the Behavioral Science and Anthropological Perspectives

Abstract

This paper synthesizes the perspectives from behavioral science and medical anthropology to discuss factors affecting prostate cancer screenings among African American men. It argues that the hegemonic health behavior model historically used to frame prostate cancer screenings without considering the context in which African American men are embedded. By the same token, the sociocultural perspective tends to articulate the cultural meaning and social relationships experienced by patients; however, it may operate largely in its own field and becomes somewhat peripheral to the domain of traditional behavioral models. This paper accordingly suggests that through exploration of a synthetic approach combining behavioral science and anthropological perspectives, we can display the relationship between individual -(e.g., perceived threats) and sociocultural -related factors (e.g., intimate and family relationship, socioeconomic status, and sense of masculinity) and practices of prostate cancer screenings among African American men.

The sociology of cancer: a decade of research

“…The literature on gender as a barrier to screening also took a critical approach to the combination of social norms and mores which limit men's and women's engagement with certain kinds of screening, in a similar vein to the literature on biography and risk perceptions discussed previously. For example, Lu () explores dominant depictions of masculinity and intimate relationships among African American men, and others consider the conventions of modesty or embarrassment as expressed by Vietnamese, Muslim and Malay women undergoing intimate examinations in the US (Dunn and Tan , Faik Salman , Nguyen and Clark ).…”

Fourth and a Mile: Using Theater in Comparison to Workshop/Lecture as an Approach to Educating African American Men About Prostate Cancer

“…Previous research studies on prostate cancer have shown that removal of behavior‐related barriers would increase the likelihood of African American men engaging in prostate cancer screening and treatment programs (Robinson, Ashley, & Haynes, ; Smith, Catalona, & Herschman, ). Although there is clearly a need for prevention and education techniques to aid in decreasing the number of African American men developing prostate cancer (Lu, ), health professionals suggest that there is no definitive approach; researchers are still striving to establish which prostate cancer prevention strategy is most effective and safe (Mayo Clinic Staff, ).…”