Good Article Review On Fear Of Prostate Cancer Among Haitian-American Men

Introduction

The continued increase in the prevalence rate of prostate cancer is one of the major health issues that have raised serious concerns among health care providers and the entire public. Haitian-American men have been found to have the highest prevalence of the disease in U.S. According to a study by the “International Agency for Research in Cancer” (2005) Haitian- American men were found to have the highest rate of the disease compared to other ethnic groups living in the United States. The study showed that about seven hundred and sixty Haitian men suffered from the disease per one hundred thousand people. However, despite their chances of suffering from the disease, most of the Haitian-American men do not participate in screening activates. In addition, most of the Haitians have low level of education in regard to the disease and their increased susceptibility to the disease. Moreover, most of the Haitians have various misconceptions in regard to the disease whereby the disease is attributed to irresponsible sexual behaviors such as having sex with multiple partners. Most of the Haitian men fear to engage in screening activities since they are afraid of the outcomes and the treatment process.

Problem statement

The study by Kleier, J.A (2010) sought to establish the correlation between fear as well as susceptibility to prostate cancer in relation to screening of the disease among Haitian-American men. The clinical question that necessitated this study was the increased prevalence rate of prostate cancer among Haitian immigrants living in the U.S. This paper aims at critiquing the research article and subsequently come up with relevant information to address the screening behavior and the prevalence of the disease among the study group.

Purpose of the study

The study focused on determining the effects of fear as well as susceptibility of the disease towards screening behavior of the group. As such, the study sought to establish whether perceived susceptibility to the disease as well as fear had any influence on the screening behavior of the participants. In addition, the study examined the perceived risk and the level of education in regard to the disease among the participants. The research questions as well as the clinical questions were appropriate to the study topic and provided valuable insights as a basis of the research.

Protection of Human participants

Informed consent was sought from the participants whereby the participation in the study was on voluntary. Participants were also informed that they were free to withdraw from the study at any particular time if they were not comfortable. In addition, the participants were assured of confidentiality in regard to the information revealed to the researcher. On the other hand, approval was sought from the “Barry University Institutional Review Board” and this ensured that the study was carried out in accordance to the standards of the board. This enabled the participants to reveal personal information since they were assured that the information revealed would be treated with confidentiality.

Literature review

The study incorporated literature from previous studies to demonstrate the importance of screening in relation to the disease and the influence of perceived susceptibility as well as fear towards screening. In addition, the researcher uses previous literature to emphasize of the need to educate people on the importance of screening in reducing the incidence rate of the disease. Reviewed literature showed that the beliefs as well as the practice of the Haitian-American men greatly influenced their decision towards screening of the disease. Most of the men have various misconceptions about the diseases and thus few of them engaged in screening activities. For instance, most of the men associated the disease to promiscuity and thus they were reluctant to engage in screening activities. Furthermore, most of the Haitians lacked sufficient educated in regard to the disease as compared to other ethnic groups. As such, the literature review section was one of the major strengths of the study since it provided valuable insights in regard to the topic.

Design and methodology

The study was based on a sample size of one hundred and forty three Haitian-American men whereby survey methods were used to collect data. Furthermore, Logistic regression models were used to analyze data obtained from the study. Regression analysis helped the researcher to predict the outcome of both the dependent as well as the independent variables.

Results

The results obtained from the study showed that perceived susceptibility greatly influenced the screening behavior of the participants. As such, most of participants who perceived themselves as not susceptible to the disease were less likely to participate in screening. On the other hand, most of the participants who perceived themselves as susceptible to the disease feared to undergo screening activities since they were afraid of the outcome.

Discussion

The study provided valuable information in regard to the disease. It is evident that the people’s perception in regard to their susceptibility of the disease plays a significant role in determining their screening behavior. For instance, people who perceive themselves as susceptible to the disease fear to engage in screening activities since they are afraid of the outcomes. In addition, most of the Haitian men lack sufficient education in regard to the disease and this prevents them from engaging in screening. Moreover, most of the Haitians have various misconceptions in regard to the disease whereby this deters them from engaging in screening activities.

Conclusion

Most of the Haitian immigrants lack sufficient knowledge in regard to the disease and their potential risks to the disease. In addition, most of the Haitian men fear to engage in screening activities since they are afraid of the outcomes and the treatment process. The group has various misconceptions in regard to the disease and this deters them from engaging in the screening process. As such, the group needs to be educated on the importance of screening as one of the preventive measure in regard to prostate cancer.