Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the UK, accounting for 27% of all cancers in males. Black men have double the chance of getting prostate cancer and dying from it compared to White men, yet only 25% know their elevated risk. We co-designed with 13 Black men an intervention to increase awareness and promote early diagnosis in North-East England and Scotland. The peer-led intervention, underpinned by the Integrated Screening Action Model (I-SAM), consisted of multiple components, including GP health education, and videos with testimonials from survivors, women, and religious leaders.

Methods: This mixed-method pilot study, recruited 62 Black African and Caribbean men, aged 42-63, using purposive and snowball sampling. The intervention was first delivered with 21 participants in November 2023, followed by two focus groups (n=14) to obtain qualitative evaluation. Based on feedback, the intervention was revised and delivered again with 41 participants in February 2024, and also evaluated through two focus groups (n=26). Thematic analysis was used. Knowledge, attitudes and intention to engage in prostate cancer testing were examined through a pre-and post-survey design (n=41). Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests were used to assess pre-and post-intervention scores.

Results: Focus group data showed participants enjoyed the intervention and found it informative. They particularly liked that the intervention was delivered exclusively by individuals who shared participants’ cultural and racial backgrounds. Participants reported that the intervention increased their confidence in engaging with healthcare providers to discuss prostate health testing. Knowledge (Z= 4.939, p < 0.001) and intention to undergo prostate cancer testing (Z = 3.975, p < 0.001) significantly increased post-intervention.

Conclusion: The intervention shows potential to increase awareness and build confidence to engage in behaviours conducive to early diagnosis. However, the sample was small and effectiveness testing will need to be conducted more robustly.

Funding:
Prostate Cancer Research