Stability of self-reported family history of prostate cancer among African American men.
The genome-wide search for the prostate cancer gene holds the promise of the availability of prostate cancer susceptibility testing in the near future. When this occurs, self-reported history of prostate cancer will be critical in determining who is eligible for cancer susceptibility testing. Little attention has been given to the reliability of self-reported family history of prostate cancer, particularly in African American men. This correlational study measured the stability of self-reported family history of prostate cancer over a one-year time period (between 1997 and 1998) with 96 African American men from a southern state. The men were asked on two separate occasions, 1 year apart, "Have any of your men blood relatives ever had prostate cancer?" The question had a prior test-retest reliability of 0.85 over a 2-week period. Forty-eight percent of the men changed their answers on the second administration. Men most likely to change their answers were low-income men and men who did not participate in a free prostate cancer screening. This research highlights the need for public genetic education and the recognition by health professionals that self-reported family history of cancer is a variable that changes as families have increased awareness and communication concerning family history of cancer.
Weinrich
Sally P
SP
School of Nursing, University of Louisville, Kentucky 40292, USA. sally.weinrich@louisville.edu
Faison-Smith
Louise
L
Hudson-Priest
Julie
J
Royal
Charmaine
C
Powell
Isaac
I
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People; D005817:Genetic Counseling; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008487:Medical History Taking; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013022:South Carolina; D001741:Black or African American