Men's knowledge about prostate cancer: a case study of rural Mhondoro-Ngezi, Kadoma District, Zimbabwe

Men in Zimbabwe, like elsewhere in the world, suffer from prostate cancer. Yet ironically, men's awareness of the disease and comprehensive knowledge about the signs and symptoms, screening methods and the age groups predisposed to the risk of the diseases has remained poorly understood. Utilising a survey of 500 men aged between 15 and 79 years, 12 key informant interviews and seven focus group discussions in Mhondoro-Ngezi, the study established that men's awareness and comprehensive knowledge about prostate cancer is very low and marred with misconceptions. Informal sources of communication, especially friends, continue to be the major sources of information about prostate cancer, while formal sources are passive. The aforementioned findings imply that playmakers in the health delivery programmes have an overdue responsibility to rescue men from the catastrophic trap so that they freely enjoy their rights to good health. There is also need for accelerated information, education and communication regarding male reproductive cancers to cater for the future welfare of men given that they are drivers of national economies in their various capacities. Failure to do so would mean that men's reproductive health-seeking behaviour regarding early screening and treatment of prostate cancer will forever remain compromised.