Abstract
The objective of the study was to measure the level of awareness, specific knowledge, perception and screening behavior
of prostate cancer among males in a rural community of the Ikenne local government area of south-western Nigeria. The study was a
cross-sectional design utilizing a pre-tested 36-item questionnaire (Cronbach’s alpha of 0.62) to collect information about knowledge
regarding prostate cancer, perceived susceptibility and seriousness, perceived benefits of screening and screening behavior among men
in a rural community in south-western Nigeria. Three hundred and ninety eight participants were enrolled for the study by systematic
random selection of men in the community of the Ikenne local government area. Results indicated that the mean age of participants
was 44.24 (standard error of mean (SEM) 0.47) years. Knowledge about prostate cancer as an important disease in men measured
on a 12-point scale recorded a mean score of 4.97 (SEM 0.15) and perception of prostate cancer considered in three sub-domains of
susceptibility, seriousness and benefit, measured on a 30-point scale, similarly recorded a mean score of 17.65 (SEM 0.18); while
screening behavior, measured on a 11-point scale, showed that participants in the study recorded a mean scored of 2.40 (SEM 0.071).
Furthermore, 156 (39.2%) of the respondents reported having heard about prostate cancer while 377 (94.7%) had heard of breast cancer
as a condition affecting women. The findings suggest that level of awareness about prostate cancer among men in this study was low
while their level of perception was just above average and screening behavior was very low. Again, perception variables positively
and significantly correlated with screening behaviour among the participants. We conclude that in order to stimulate regular screening
among men, there should be an aggressive health promotion intervention designed to increase awareness and to correct impressions
about prostate cancer in the community.