Taking health into our own hands: Outcomes of a prostate cancer project

Research shows that African American men are more likely to develop prostate cancer and twice as likely to die from it as other Americans. Despite the massive burden of this disease, screening and treatment modalities remain uncertain. The public is encouraged to make informed prostate cancer decisions based on the benefits and risks of various screening and treatment modalities. The outcomes of this 5-year study will describe the effectiveness of an educational intervention designed to increase prostate cancer awareness and promote informed decision-making among community men. A total of 29 community volunteers were trained as Community Champions in an urban and rural county. All volunteers completed Human Subjects training and were certified to obtain consent. At baseline, volunteers consented and surveyed 180 African American men, and 137 were re-surveyed 12-months later during the follow-up period. There were marked increases in the following areas from baseline to follow-up: 1) Receipt of a prostate cancer screening (78% vs. 87%); 2) Awareness of the 2 main screening tests (73% vs. 86%); 3) Have adequate information to decide whether to get screened (68% vs. 86%); 4) Feel better informed about screening as a result of participating in this project (69% vs. 81%); and 5) Feel better informed about treatment options as a result of participating in this project (69% vs. 85%). This project shows that volunteer community champions can serve as agents of change in and throughout their community by disseminating factual information; dispelling myths and ultimately encouraging their peers to make informed decisions.