Knowledge, attitudes and screening practices regarding prostatic diseases among men older than 40 years: a population-based study in Southwest Nigeria

INTRODUCTION: Despite the global increase in awareness of prostatic diseases resulting from widespread availability of screening tools, there is no evidence that the knowledge, attitudes and screening practices of Nigerian men have improved regarding prostatic diseases. METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study amongst 305 community-dwelling men. Respondents were selected using multi-staged sampling techniques. Knowledge, attitudes and screening practices were determined based on responses to a semi-structured KAP questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 18. Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact test (two-tail) with level of significance set at 0.05 were used to determine the level of statistical significance. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to establish correlation between variables. RESULTS: Mean age of respondents was 63.4±11.8 years. Slightly less than half, 145(47.5%) were aware of prostate cancer (PCa) while only 99(32.5%) and 91(29.8%) were aware of BPH and prostatitis respectively. About a quarter (25.1%) had heard of PSA. The main sources of information were radio and television. Overall, 143(46.9%) respondents had good knowledge while 162(53.1%) had poor knowledge. Sexually transmitted disease was the commonest misconception as the cause of prostatic diseases. Overall, 44.3% had good attitudes. Only 31(10.2%) respondents had ever carried out screening for PCa. Only educational and occupational status had significant associations with level of knowledge and attitudes of participants. The only factor that influenced screening practices was educational status. CONCLUSION: There is a poor level of knowledge, attitudes and screening practices regarding prostatic diseases in Nigeria. We recommend a widespread public health education to improve knowledge, attitudes and screening practices for prostatic diseases.