Cancer screening behaviors among Latina women: The role of the Latino male

Latinos are the fastest growing segment of the United State's population. In 2006, the U.S. Census recorded 42.7 million Latinos in the U.S., approximately 14.4 percent of the total population. Coinciding with this Latino immigration comes a significant need for effective interventions for the least acculturated. Thus, Esperanza y Vida (Hope and Life), a culturally-appropriate community-based education program, was developed to address the health care needs and cancer control challenges faced by Latino men and women. A primary focus of this intervention was to determine the crucial knowledge, belief, and attitudinal traits of Latino men that may encourage or discourage Latino women to participate in routine breast and cervical cancer screenings. A total of 96 (23.1% overall) males participated in educational presentations conducted in Spanish throughout rural Arkansas and urban New York City (38.5% attended with their female partners; 61.5% attended alone). All participants provided demographic and pre-post knowledge information, as well as information regarding sixteen major areas of concerns related to breast and cervical health. The results indicated Latino men have little knowledge about these diseases, are unfamiliar with their partner's screening history, and have beliefs that may hinder their partners' decision to practice breast self-examination or obtain mammograms, clinical breast and Papanicolaou exams. Thus, in order to significantly decrease morbidity and mortality rates for these diseases among Latinas, special emphasis should be placed on the role of Latino men. While screening behaviors are ultimately those of the patient, involving Latino males in prevention efforts may increase awareness and screening habits among Latinas.