Focus groups in the design of prostate cancer screening information for Hispanic farmworkers and African American men.
OBJECTIVE
To gain a better understanding of men's everyday concerns as part of formative research for creating relevant prostate cancer screening education; to describe methods and processes used to conduct community-based focus groups.


METHODS
Community-based settings in catchment areas surrounding Tampa, FL.


METHODS
8 community-based focus groups: a total of 71 Hispanic farmworkers and African American men.


METHODS
Focus group discussions were tape-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for identification of emergent themes.


METHODS
General life and health priorities, prostate cancer knowledge, screening attitudes, cancer beliefs, and learning preferences.


RESULTS
Major themes among African American men were importance of work, family, and faith. Major themes among Hispanic farmworkers were importance of family, employment, education of children, and faith. A common issue that surfaced among most men was that a cancer diagnosis was considered to be a death sentence. Preferred learning methods included use of cancer survivors as spokespeople, interactive group education, and the provision of easy-to-understand information. Issues of trust, respect, and community involvement were key to the successful conduct of focus groups among ethnically diverse groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Study findings have important implications for the content of information developed for prostate cancer education materials and media.


CONCLUSIONS
Insights gained from focus group methodology can help nurses and other healthcare professionals design and develop appropriate prostate cancer education tools for use in community-based prostate cancer screening programs.
Meade
Cathy D
CD
Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA. cdmeade@moffitt.usf.edu
Calvo
Arlene
A
Rivera
Marlene A
MA
Baer
Roberta D
RD
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People; D017144:Focus Groups; D006266:Health Education; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D015399:Nursing Research; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D001741:Black or African American