Factors contributing to health promotion behaviors among African-American men.

Few studies reported in the literature address healthcare trends of African-American men. A study of health promotion behaviors of African-American men was undertaken using a health beliefs framework. The study examined the cancer-related knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAP) of a select group of African-American men to evaluate their influence on health promotion behaviors. The health beliefs framework was very useful in predicting the health promotion behaviors of African-American men. Significant relationships were observed between the variables of knowledge of early warning signs of cancer, attitudes related to screening procedures, perceptions of seriousness of cancer, and cancer risk reduction and early detection health promotion behaviors. The results reinforce earlier reports indicating the pronounced effects of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions on the use of health-promoting activities.