Rural Mexican American men's attitudes and beliefs about cancer screening.
BACKGROUND
Mexican American men are thought to receive fewer cancer screening services for prostate and colon cancer than the general male population; however, little is known about this group.


METHODS
A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the knowledge, beliefs, attitudes, and use of cancer screening services among a sample of high-acculturated Mexican American, low-acculturated Mexican American, and non-Mexican American white men in Washington State. A total of 158 men (127 Mexican American; 31 non-Mexican American white) completed an in-person interview.


RESULTS
The Mexican American men were more likely to report employment in agriculture and had completed fewer years of formal education compared with the non-Mexican American men, and were more likely than their non-Mexican American counterparts to have little knowledge about the causes of cancer and the need for cancer prevention practices. Further, the Mexican American men were more likely to report avoidant and fatalistic attitudes about cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
Future research should address variables that are related to the low level of cancer screening among Mexican American men.
Coronado
G
G
Cancer Prevention Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA.
Thompson
B
B
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000523:psychology*; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011159:Population Surveillance; D011336:Probability; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014861:Washington