Knowledge levels, attitude and beliefs of men towards the Digital Rectal Examinations (DRE): A study in Trinidad

ABSTRACT

Objective: To determine knowledge levels, attitudes and beliefs of men 40 years and over regarding Digital Rectal Examination (DRE). The investigators considered this crucial following the scourge of prostate cancer in Trinidad and Tobago, and seeming lack of the use of the DRE, a noted method of screening for the condition for early detection. Design and Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was undertaken using all men totaling 216, who were 40 years and over, and who gave their informed consent, attending a central mall in Trinidad in the month of April 2018. Data was collected using researchers'- designed self-administered questionnaire. Data was collected and collated manually but analysed with the aid of the SPSS version 20. Result: Results indicate that the men (a) were knowledgeable (95.8%) about DRE, (b) had positive belief (96.3%) about DRE and its medical significance, and (c) had good attitudes (73.6%) towards DRE. Further, men's knowledge levels and beliefs were not significantly associated with their selected demography, namely age, religion, educational level, marital status and ethnicity (p>0.05. However, their attitudes were associated with their ethnicity only (p<0.03). Conclusion: Results suggest that perhaps the attitudes and beliefs are better predictors of intentions than knowledge. This needs to be explored further given the need to curb the prevalence of prostate cancer among men in Trinidad and Tobago.