This study was conducted to identify the salient behavioral beliefs of young Black men toward prostate cancer screening, and to identify the issues surrounding their comfortability with prostate examinations. A total of 20 Black men, aged between 18 and 40 years, participated in three focus group sessions between June 2013 and July 2013 in Austin, Texas. Participants were asked open-ended questions about: (a) the advantages and disadvantages of screening to identify salient behavioral beliefs about screening and (b) issues that would make prostate examinations comfortable or uncomfortable to identify comfortability factors. Focus group discussions were tape-recorded, transcribed, and content analyzed to identify emerging themes of salient beliefs and comfortability. Also, nine salient behavioral beliefs toward prostate cancer screening were identified, and eight factors were linked to comfortability with prostate examinations. Given the increase of prostate cancer disparity as a public health issue, understanding the beliefs of Black men of prescreening age (18-40 years) may be crucial to the effectiveness of future interventions to improve screening when recommended at later ages.
Keywords: behavioral research; digital rectal exam; health promotion and disease prevention; men’s health interventions; prostate cancer.