Abstract:
Prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among men 40 years and above globally. Incidence and mortality rates are higher in African men as they grow older. Prostate cancer is amenable to early detection by screening which can prevent and reduce cancer deaths. Unfortunately, it is often detected late in the Ghanaian population due to lack of voluntary screening. This study assessed the knowledge and practices of prostate cancer screening uptake among men in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality (LMKM) in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The study employed a cross-sectional design that used quantitative methods (structured questionnaire) to collect data from 363 respondents using a multistage sampling technique. Chi-square test statistics were used to estimate the association between the knowledge, practices and perception (dependent variables) and socio-demographic characteristics (independent variable) of respondents. Multiple binary logistic regression model was used to measure the strength of association between the variables at a 95% Confidence Interval. The majority (79.3%) of respondents were of the Ga-Adangme ethnic group, were in the 40-49 years age bracket (44.4%) and married (70.8%). Except for age group, marital status, ethnicity and number of biological children, all socio-demographic characteristics were significantly associated with prostate cancer screening uptake (p<0.05) but there was no significant association between socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge level on prostate cancer (p>0.05). Only religious affiliation and family history of prostate cancer were significantly associated with perceptions on prostate cancer. The study showed that most men in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality were aware of prostate cancer. This, however, did not translate into practice. Public health interventions should have Ministry of Health liaise with the National Health Insurance Scheme to roll out a free prostate cancer screening and prevention program in the District hospitals to ensure early screening.
