Digital rectal examinations and prostate cancer screening: attitudes of African American men.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To explore the relationship between attitudes toward digital rectal examination (DRE) and participation in prostate cancer screening among African American men.

DESIGN: Survey.

SETTING: Prostate cancer screenings with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test held at churches with African American members in Detroit, MI.

SAMPLE: 613 African American men between the ages of 40 and 70.

METHODS: Self-administered, structured questionnaires examining attitudes toward DRE, past experiences with DRE, and fear of cancer.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Willingness to undergo DRE.

FINDINGS: The majority of men who were screened had positive attitudes about DRE. Fear of cancer was associated with negative attitudes toward DRE. DREs were not a deterrent among men who attended the screenings.

CONCLUSION: Negative attitudes toward DRE do not necessarily deter African American men from participating in prostate cancer screenings.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Prostate cancer screening programs should attempt to use both DRE and PSA. More reliable prostate cancer indicators are obtained by incorporating DRE with PSA tests.