Digital rectal examinations and prostate cancer screening: attitudes of African American men.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the relationship between attitudes toward digital rectal examination (DRE) and participation in prostate cancer screening among African American men.


METHODS
Survey.


METHODS
Prostate cancer screenings with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test held at churches with African American members in Detroit, MI.


METHODS
613 African American men between the ages of 40 and 70.


METHODS
Self-administered, structured questionnaires examining attitudes toward DRE, past experiences with DRE, and fear of cancer.


METHODS
Willingness to undergo DRE.


RESULTS
The majority of men who were screened had positive attitudes about DRE. Fear of cancer was associated with negative attitudes toward DRE. DREs were not a deterrent among men who attended the screenings.


CONCLUSIONS
Negative attitudes toward DRE do not necessarily deter African American men from participating in prostate cancer screenings.


CONCLUSIONS
Prostate cancer screening programs should attempt to use both DRE and PSA. More reliable prostate cancer indicators are obtained by incorporating DRE with PSA tests.
Department of Sociology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.
D E
DE
Gelfand
J
J
Parzuchowski
M
M
Cort
I
I
Powell
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology*; D008824:Michigan; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors