THE INFLUENCE OF PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS ON THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES OF MEN IN SOUTH-EASTERN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

This study was designed to investigate the influence of Prostate cancer awareness campaigns on the knowledge, attitude and practices of men in South-Eastern Nigeria. The study used survey research design through the instrumentality of questionnaire (twenty-eight items questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection). The population of the study is 8,184,951 adult males in South-Eastern Nigeria. Five research questions guided the study. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The result of the data analyzed revealed that the awareness and knowledge level on prostate cancer is relatively low among the men in South-Eastern Nigeria. Also, most information on prostate cancer were made known to the respondents by medical practitioners, however, those respondents that are exposed to the campaigns agreed that the campaigns have influenced their behavior positively. The study recommended that awareness campaigns should be well structured to sufficiently address the nonchalant attitudes of men in South-Eastern Nigeria. Also, campaign planners should lower the age for screening, so that early detection and prevention can be made before it becomes too late.