Factors associated with uptake of prostate cancer screening among patients seeking health care services at Kenyatta National Hospital.

Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer screening is not a common practice in Kenya in spite of prostate cancer being the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Kenyan men .Majority of our patients therefore usually present in the hospital with the disease in the advanced stage. Objective: To investigate factors associated with uptake of prostate cancer screening among patients seeking health care services at Kenyatta National Hospital. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study Methodology: The researcher used systematic random sampling to select One hundred and ninth (n=190) participants from the patient population. The participants were 40 years and above. Data was collected using structured questionnaires, summarized using descriptive statistics and presented in tables and graphs. Key informant interviews with Doctors and nurses were done to collect qualitative data. It was carried out between January and June 2015.Statistical analyses for associations between knowledge levels, perception of self-vulnerability to prostate cancer, uptake of prostate cancer screening and socio-demographic characteristics were performed using the chi-square tests followed by Spearman’s correlation tests and binary logistic regression modeling. Results: Results of this study showed that approximately three-quarters, 136 (72.7%) participants had never attended medical checkup and most 113 (60.4%) patients strongly agreed that it is important to get tested to prevent disease. At least 80% of patients 154 (82.4%) said that they visited a doctor only when they are sick. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that good knowledge of prostate cancer was associated with university [OR, 18.741; 95% CI, 6.878- 51.064; P<0.0001]; diploma [OR, 9.332; 95% CI, 3.752-23.213; P<0.0001]; and secondary education [OR, 4.078; 95% CI, 1.650-10.075; P=0.002]. Conclusions: The findings of this study demonstrate that health care intervention targeting information dissemination; behavioral change on risk perceptions; and uptake of early screening can halt the burden of prostate cancer in this population. Recommendations: There is need for cancer stakeholders to promote good knowledge on prostate cancer to increase men’s perception of self-vulnerability towards the disease and hence increase PC screening. More research needs to be done to other Kenyan regions especially at county level to identify the unique factors influencing uptake of prostate cancer screening.