Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of men regarding prostate cancer in Mufakose, Harare, Zimbabwe

Prostate cancer is one of the top diseases killing men worldwide and is the second common cancer that affects men. According to Globocan statistics(2018), approximately 1.1 million males had prostate cancer globally, approximately 15% compared to other cancers seen in males. The incedence and mortality rate of the diseas in Southern African Developement Community region is 40.5 per 100 000 and 22.5 per 100 000 of the population per year, respectively. The study aimed to describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices of men living in Mufakose, Harare regarding prostate cancer and prostate cancer screening. A door-to- door survey  was utilised in the study, with convenience sampling, with a sample size of n=269. Structured interviews collected the data, and a questionnaire served as the data collection instrument. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and the statistical package SPSS version 23 to calculate statistically significant differences between the variables. A Chi-square test measured statistically significant differences between variables. The results provided evidence that the men living in the study setting had limited knowledge of prostate cancer, however, they presented with a positive attitude regarding prostate cancer, and high percentages were ready to perform prostate cancer screening and to learn about the disease. The study provided evidence that less than half (23.7%; n=69) reported they knew what prostate cancer was., while the majority of respondents (76.3%; n=200) had no idea what it really was. The majority of the respondents (69.5%) showed a positive attitude towards prostate cancer and its positiveness applied across all educational levels and all age groups. In this study, (60.6%) of the respondents indicated a private doctor was the location for prostate cancer screening, with (12.3%) having had prostate cancer screening with (45.6%) confirming having received their results.The study concluded that the Ministry of Health Child Care should avail screening services and scale up dissemination of information regarding prostate cancer and its screening in all health care facilities. Keywords: Prostate cancer, Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Mufakose, Harare.