Factors that Influence the Likelihood of Culturally Diverse Men to get a Cancer Screening

Men experience worse health consequences than women, often due to behavioral choices and lack of healthcare utilization. These consequences are further compounded by racial/ethnic minority men, who experience excessive mortality and preventable morbidity than White men. The Men’s Health Forum (MHF) is an annual initiative in the Tampa Bay area to reduce health disparities among medically underserved, diverse men (about 75% of attending men are African American or Hispanic) by offering vital health education and screenings so they can effectively manage their health. At the 2013 MHF, Moffitt Cancer Center and the University of Florida conducted a study to assess the motivators of and barriers to cancer preventive behaviors among a sample of attending men. This study examined these participants’ self-reported likelihood of getting a cancer screening (CS) when given specific scenarios. Overall, at least 50% of these men reported being likely to get a CS for all presented scenarios. Scenarios that at least 75% of men indicated high likelihood of getting a CS were: if their doctor told them they had symptoms; if they had a physician examine them; or if the CS occurred at the present time. Scenarios that fewer than 25% of men reported high likelihood of getting a CS were: having to be interviewed about alcohol or smoking habits; having to spit saliva into a jar; or having a skin biopsy. These research findings are important for informing the development of interventions to increase CS participation and ultimately, reduce cancer disparities among racial/ethnic, medically underserved men.