Awareness and knowledge about prostate cancer among male teachers in the Sunyani Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

Objective: The study was aimed at assessing the awareness and knowledge of prostate cancer (PC) among male teachers in the Sunyani municipality of Ghana. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted using a structured questionnaire to collect data from 160 male teach- ers aged 45 years or more, randomly selected from public elementary and high schools in the Sunyani Municipality. Pearson’s Chi square and Fishers exact tests were used to examine the association between socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge of PC. Results: On average, respondents were aged 50±3.95 years. There was a universal awareness of PC. Most of the respond- ents could identify at least one signs and symptoms of PC (88.1%), risk factors of PC (78.8%), and indicated that PC could be treated through surgery (70.6 %), but only 37.5% of respondents knew about screening tests for PC. The study found 57.5% of them had adequate knowledge about PC. Socio-demographics characteristics were not associated with knowledge about PC. Main sources of information were the television (68%) and radio (57 %). Conclusion: The outcomes of the study suggest the need for general educational campaigns with emphasis on modalities for the screening of PC using the appropriate media channels for accessibility. Keywords: Prostate cancer; awareness; knowledge; male teachers; Ghana.