Barriers and Facilitators of Prostate Cancer Screening Among Filipino Men in Hawaii

Purpose/Objectives: To examine perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs regarding barriers and facilitators to prostate cancer screening, and to identify potential interventional strategies to promote prostate cancer screening among Filipino men in Hawaii.

Design: Exploratory, qualitative.

Setting: Community-based settings in Hawaii.

Sample: 20 Filipino men age 40 years or older.

Methods: Focus group discussions were tape recorded and transcribed, and content analysis was performed for emergent themes.

Main Research Variables: Perceptions regarding prostate cancer, barriers and facilitators to prostate cancer screening, and culturally relevant interventional strategies.

Findings: Perceptions of prostate cancer included fatalism, hopelessness, and dread. Misconceptions regarding causes of prostate cancer, such as frequency of sexual activity, were identified. Barriers to prostate cancer screening included lack of awareness of the need for screening, reticence to seek health care when feeling well, fear of cancer diagnosis, financial issues, time constraints, and embarrassment. Presence of urinary symptoms, personal experience with family or friends who had cancer, and receiving recommendations from a healthcare provider regarding screening were facilitators for screening. Potential culturally relevant interventional strategies to promote prostate cancer screening included screening recommendations from healthcare professionals and cancer survivors; radio or television commercials and newspaper articles targeting the Filipino community; informational brochures in Tagalog, Ilocano, or English; and interactive, educational forums facilitated by multilingual Filipino male healthcare professionals.

Conclusions: Culturally relevant interventions are needed that address barriers to prostate cancer screening participation and misconceptions about causes of prostate cancer.

Implications for Nursing: Findings provide a foundation for future research regarding development of interventional strategies to promote prostate cancer screening among Filipino men.