Publication:

Assessment of prostate cancer knowledge and perception towards screening services and follow-up care among male non-medical staff at Epe General Hospital and Akodo General Hospital

Background Prostate cancer has over the years emerged as a public health concern, as it has become the second common cancer and the fifth leading cause of death among men worldwide. Globally, 1.3 million new cases and 359, 000 related deaths were projected in 2018.

Methods A cross-sectional analytical study design and simple random sampling technique was used to select 103 and 92 non-medical males in Epe and Akodo General Hospitals respectively using questionnaire adopted from previous study. Data was  analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences SPSS 23.0, interpreted using descriptive statistics: frequency tables, bar charts and converting same to percentages and X2 was used to determine association.

Results Results showed that pretest results from respondents in General Hospital (G.H.) Epe, as 74.3% indicated that they had not heard about prostate cancer. Interestingly, 37.6% of respondents recognized that maintaining a healthy lifestyle could reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer. 74.3% of participants in G.H. Epe indicated age as a risk factor for prostate cancer. 68% of participants were unaware of the significance of family history in relation to prostate cancer risk in Akodo G.H. 88.1% indicated smoking, obesity as risk factors, compared to 65.3% in Akodo. 91.7% of participants are familiar with PSA. In G.H. Epe (71.6%) are not well-informed about prostate cancer and the importance of early screening.

Conclusions Individuals with good knowledge tend to have a more positive perception regarding prostate cancer, as indicated by the p value of 0.001.