Awareness of prostate cancer and its associated factors among Ethiopian men, 2021: A cross-sectional study

Background: Prostate cancer is a common type of cancer in men worldwide. It is the world's second most diagnosed disease and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths. In Ethiopia, it is the 3 rd most common type of cancer. Awareness of Prostate cancer is key to early detection and prevention. The major risk factors for prostate cancer can be controlled by increasing public awareness. Objective: We aimed to describe what they knew about prostate cancer by asking questions about prostate cancer-related awareness and we also investigated possible relationships between the variables. Methods: : In 2021, we conducted a cross-sectional study among a systematic sample of men attending the Tikur Anbessa Specialized Hospital in the Urology unit. We used a researcher-administered questionnaire to collect the data and Descriptive statistics and linear regressions were used for the analysis. The strength of the association between the variables was described using the unstandardized β with a 95% Confidence interval. Results: A total of 250 patients were approached with a response rate of 241(96.4%), with a mean score of awareness of prostate cancer risk factors of 41.2%, symptoms 43.8%, screening 44.7%, and prevention 49.5% respectively. Families with average monthly income >8900ETB (β=2.6, 95%CI:1.1-4.1, P=0.001), heard about prostate cancer (β=5.6, 95%CI:1.5-9.6, P=0.011), having a regular source of care every six months and above (β=4.3, 95%CI: 2.5-6.1, P<0.001), three times, admission history (β=5.4, 95%CI:1.3-9.5, P=0.009), and health care providers (β=10.7, 95%CI 6.6-14.8, P<0.001) as the major source of information followed by the media (β=9.6, 95%CI 5.4-13.8, P<0.001) were significantly associated with awareness of prostate cancer. Conclusion: Prostate cancer is one of the most important health-related problems among men worldwide. Therefore, a well-planned health education program should be implemented to address the observed awareness gaps.