Determinants of Prostate Cancer Screening Uptake among Men Aged 40 Years and Above in Ruiru Sub County, Kenya

Abstract

Background: The Kenya Demographic and Health Survey in the year 2014 indicated that two- thirds of Kenyan men age 15-49 have heard of prostate cancer and that, only three percent of males aged 40 years and above have ever had a prostate cancer screening. This signifies that prostate cancer screening is still uncommon among Kenyan men despite prostate cancer being ranked third among commonly diagnosed cancers globally. It’s against this background that this study was initiated to assess the determinants of uptake for PC screening among men aged 40 and above living in Ruiru Sub County. The study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional design. Quantitative data was collected using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using Statistical package for data analysis (SPSS) and presented as descriptive statistics using mean, percentages and proportions while Inferential statistics that is standard deviation and Chi-square values were used to determine the statistical significance (p ≤ 0.05). Results showed that most men (87%) were aware of prostate cancer. marital status P = (0.007), occupation (p = 0.019), fear (p = 0.005), shyness/ embarrassment (p = 0.034) and the level of education (p = 0.005) significantly influenced the uptake of prostate cancer screening among males aged 40 years and above. Noteworthy, education about prostate cancer screening did not significantly influence the decision by males in this age brackets to get prostate cancer screening. More efforts are needed to encourage adult male who are highly at risk of prostate cancer to go for voluntary screening as early detection have been shown to improve the disease outcome. In addition, a dire need for increased awareness of prostate cancer screening to demystify the condition by healthcare workers, Ministry of Health, faith-based organizations, family as well as friends.