The complexities of interviewing Italo-Australian men about sensitive health issues

The increase in the incidence of prostate cancer in Australia has been followed by an increase in prostate cancer awareness among Australian adults. However, men's level of knowledge on the subject has never been systematically assessed (Laws et al, 2000). It was postulated by Laws et al., (2000) that many men from Non English Speaking Cultures (NESC) experience language and cultural difficulties that would ultimately impinge on their ability to access information about prostate problems. In exploring 'The knowledge and attitudes of Italo-Australian men toward prostate cancer' the researchers became aware that the majority of interviewees (n=20) were reluctant to divulge information on all aspects of the topic (Drummond et al., 2001). This report highlights the importance of using a reflexive phase within the research process as a means of identifying factors that can, in part, explain the paucity of data and act a basis for developing strategies to overcome the problem. The research subsequently evolved to incorporate a secondary research question. 'Why were the men at interview so reluctant to speak of general health problems and health problems related to prostatic dysfunction?' A focus group comprised of Italo-Australian men was used to explore gender and culturalfactors, perceived by the researchers as, restricting theflow of information. Several barriers thought to be limiting the release of information were confirmed. We conclude that our findings will have implications for other researchers wanting to maximise their chances of accessing information rich datafrom the experiences of men from NESCs.