Barriers to prostate cancer screening in African American men.

Prostate cancer is one of the most significant health problems facing men today, especially African American men. Decreased participation in prostate cancer screening by African American men is a serious problem, as decreased survival rates occur when the diagnosis of prostate cancer is delayed. This descriptive correlational study focuses on identifying the relationship between perceived barriers and participation in a free prostate cancer screening program. A purposive sample of African American men (n = 1,395) was drawn from multiple community sites in the southeast United States. All significant variables (age, income group, marital status, and educational intervention were used as covariants for the multiple logistic regression. With the addition of the covariants, the barrier suggesting "would be embarrassed" remained significant (p = 0.03). Two other barriers, "no way to get there" and "refuse to go" approached significance (p = 0.08 and p = 0.09, respectively). Nurses can use knowledge about barriers identified in this study to develop interventions aimed at increasing participation in prostate cancer screening among African American men.