Effects of an Educational Program for Prostate Cancer Prevention on knowledge and PSA Testing in Men Over 50 Years old in Community Areas of Shiraz in 2016

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Prostate cancer was reported to be the second cause of cancer death in men in 2013. Studies have shown that those with higher knowledge levels are much more likely to undergo prostate cancer screening. The present study was aimed to determinate the effect of an educational program for prostate cancer prevention on knowledge and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in men over 50 years old in community areas of Shiraz. METHODS: This clinical trial was conducted among 93 men over 50 years old who were randomly divided into an intervention (n=48) and a control (n=45) group. The intervention group took part in an educational program focusing on the importance of prostate cancer prevention with emphasis on cultural and economic issues. Data were collected using a demographic information form, the Weinrich questionnaire for measuring the knowledge level about prostate cancer and screening, and also a researcher-made questionnaire covering reasons for not doing the test, before and 3 months after the intervention. Additionally, participation in PSA testing was evaluated 3 months after the intervention. All data were entered into the SPSS statistical software (version 14) and p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. FINDINGS: The results showed that the intervention group’s participation in PSA testing increased from 6.12% to 36.4% three months after the intervention. However, no significant change was observed in the control group. In addition, the intervention group’s mean score of knowledge increased by about 2.69 points after the intervention, and a significant difference was observed between the two groups in this regard (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of the current study revealed effectiveness of the educational program in increasing the knowledge about prostate cancer and participation in PSA testing in men over 50 years of age. Hence, managers and authorities should execute plans to educate men regarding prostate cancer screening and promote their health status.