A national survey of attitudes regarding participation if prostate carcinoma testing

Mark E. Cowen, Michael W. Kattan, Brian J. Miles

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

BACKGROUND. The prevalence of prostate carcinoma testing is rapidly changing. Little is known about the frequency of testing in the non-Medicare population in the United States. The current study was conducted for a better understanding of who is being tested and some of the reasons why. METHODS. A randomized national telephone survey was administered to 800 men by the George H. Gallup International Institute. Questions in the survey were evaluated for their association with participation in prostate carcinoma testing reported by the men interviewed. RESULTS. Participation in prostate carcinoma testing approximately the frequency of colon carcinoma testing. Eighty-six percent of the men surveyed believed that prostate carcinoma is a serious malignancy, and 78% believed that it could be cured often if detected early. Multivariate logistic regression models identified six factors that increased the likelihood of men in the survey being tested: white race, willingness to be tested, previous conversation with a physician or health professional, having had serum cholesterol tested, having been tested for colon carcinoma, and belonging to successively advance age groups. CONCLUSIONS. Prostate carcinoma testing is commonly performed in men older than 40 years. Physician counsel and patient prevention consciousness appear to be the major influences when a patient decides to be tested. If early detection is considered beneficial, special efforts would be needed to reach the nonwhite population.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1952-1957
Number of pages6
JournalCancer
Volume78
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 1 1996

Keywords

  • attitudes
  • early detection
  • health beliefs
  • prostate carcinoma

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cancer Research
  • Oncology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'A national survey of attitudes regarding participation if prostate carcinoma testing'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this