| It could appear strange but a lot of people believe | | | | well informed about both the risks of prostrate |
| that African Americans are at greater risk from | | | | cancer and the need for treatment, but that the |
| prostate cancer than white men. This short article | | | | African Americans accepted more responsibility for |
| looks at the truth behind this claim. | | | | their own health and were less likely to trust their |
| Data shows that African American men are more | | | | doctors. In fact several of the African Americans said |
| likely to die from prostate cancer than white men | | | | they were suspicious of their doctors and felt that |
| and most statisticians are in agreement that the risk | | | | any advice given was more likely to be based on the |
| in the case of black men is around about two and a | | | | cost of treatment than patient needs. |
| half times that of white men. But, are these statistics | | | | When it came to screening, African Americans were |
| misleading? | | | | less inclined to have regular check-ups, digital rectal |
| The answer might be found in a study carried out | | | | examinations or prostate specific antigen (PSA) tests. |
| recently in North Carolina. The study involved some | | | | It was also interesting to note that the study |
| 253 white men and 84 African Americans between | | | | reported that African Americans were more than |
| the ages of 40 and 75 who were diagnosed with | | | | twice as likely to have to ask for a PSA test than |
| prostate cancer between 2001 and 2004. | | | | white men. |
| The study examined several factors including | | | | It is clear from this study that there is a marked |
| screening history, the existence of other medical | | | | different between the two groups that lies in the |
| conditions, symptoms, access to care, employment, | | | | lack of early detection in the case of African |
| treatment, attitudes towards health care and health | | | | Americans and that this arises to a significant degree |
| care providers, family history, income and whether or | | | | from the fact that they do not have well established |
| not the men had health insurance. | | | | relationships with their physicians, have poor access |
| The study found that 55 percent of the African | | | | to affordable and convenient care and do not carry |
| Americans earned less than $40,000 annually | | | | adequate health insurance. |
| compared to 23 percent for the white men. It also | | | | Obviously it is not easy to put numbers to a study |
| showed that African Americans were more likely to | | | | of this nature and additional, and bigger, studies must |
| be less well educated, to have a blue-collar job, to | | | | to be carried out to quantify the differences |
| have other accompanying medical problems and to | | | | between black men and white men. Nonetheless, it |
| be unemployed as a result of disability or illness. | | | | appears that much of the difference does not lie in |
| The study further showed that just 3 percent of | | | | the fact that black men are more likely to develop |
| white men had no medical insurance at all, compared | | | | prostate cancer but stems from the fact that they |
| to 8 percent of African Americans and that just over | | | | are more likely to die as a result of the disease |
| 30 percent of white men has some type of | | | | because of its was detected late. |
| supplemental Medicare coverage, compared to 17 | | | | If the gap between black men and white men as far |
| percent of African Americans. | | | | as the provision of healthcare were narrowed the |
| One particularly interesting finding from the study | | | | statistics might well look quite different. |
| was the fact that both groups of men were equally | | | | |