Atuhe Innocent, Jatho Alfred, Nalwadda Babra, Basaza-Ejiri Annabella Habinka, Atuyambe Lynn, Orem Jackson
King Caesar University, PO Box 88, Kampala, Uganda.
Uganda Cancer Fund, PO Box 25912, Kampala, Uganda.
Ecancermedicalscience. 2023 Jun 22;17:1563. doi: 10.3332/ecancer.2023.1563. eCollection 2023.
Studies have shown that prostate cancer (PCa) is increasing at a rate of 5.2% per annum in Uganda and as few as 5% of men have ever been screened for PCa in Uganda. The situation may be worse among male prisoners given their 'vulnerable status'. The goal of this study was to examine the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs of men in Ugandan prisons regarding barriers to and facilitators of PCa screening. This would enable the identification of potential interventional strategies to promote PCa screening among men in Ugandan prisons.
This study applied the explanatory sequential mixed methods study design. We first conducted 20 focus group discussions and 17 key informant interviews. The qualitative data were analysed to enrich a survey among 2,565 prisoners selected using a simple random sampling technique.
Qualitatively, the belief that all cancers have no cure was a barrier against most participants considering screening to be of any value, coupled with the fear of screening positive for PCa and the associated stress. In addition, poor PCa knowledge and lack of PCa screening services in prisons were perceived as barriers to PCa screening in prison settings.The quantitative data from the survey of 2,565 participants with a mean age of 50.2 (9.8), indicated that the main barriers to PCa screening were mainly myths, beliefs, lack of screening facilities and technical capacity. The majority believed that creating PCa awareness, conducting screening outreach in prisons, and providing equipment for PCa screening in prisons health facilities will facilitate PCa screening, as well as working with the Uganda prison service to train the prison health staff to perform PCa screen to facilitate Prison Health Centres capacity to screen for PCa.
There is a need to develop interventions to increase awareness among the inmates in the prison health system, while ensuring that the prison health facilities are equipped with the required screening logistics, backed with outreaches from cancer-specialised hospitals/facilities.
研究表明，乌干达的前列腺癌（PCa）发病率正以每年5.2%的速度增长，而在乌干达，仅有5%的男性曾接受过前列腺癌筛查。鉴于男性囚犯的“弱势地位”，这种情况在他们当中可能更糟。本研究的目的是调查乌干达监狱男性对前列腺癌筛查的障碍和促进因素的认知、态度和信念。这将有助于确定潜在的干预策略，以促进乌干达监狱男性的前列腺癌筛查。
本研究采用解释性序列混合方法研究设计。我们首先进行了20次焦点小组讨论和17次关键 informant 访谈。对定性数据进行分析，以丰富对采用简单随机抽样技术选取的2565名囚犯的调查。
在定性方面，认为所有癌症都无法治愈的信念是大多数参与者认为筛查没有任何价值的障碍，同时还担心前列腺癌筛查呈阳性以及相关压力。此外，前列腺癌知识匮乏以及监狱中缺乏前列腺癌筛查服务被视为监狱环境中前列腺癌筛查的障碍。对2565名平均年龄为50.2（9.8）岁的参与者进行调查所得的定量数据表明，前列腺癌筛查的主要障碍主要是误解、信念、缺乏筛查设施和技术能力。大多数人认为，提高前列腺癌意识、在监狱开展筛查外展活动以及在监狱卫生设施中提供前列腺癌筛查设备将促进前列腺癌筛查，同时与乌干达监狱管理局合作培训监狱卫生工作人员进行前列腺癌筛查，以提高监狱卫生中心筛查前列腺癌的能力。
有必要制定干预措施，提高监狱卫生系统中囚犯的认识，同时确保监狱卫生设施配备所需的筛查后勤设备，并得到癌症专科医院/设施的外展支持。
