Increasing Prostate Cancer Education and Screening for Black Men in Southeastern Michigan: Your Prostate, Your Health

Black Men (BM) have disproportionately higher mortality rates from prostate cancer (PCa) and present with more advanced disease. Early screening may improve outcomes. The aim of our project was to provide education, screening, and provider outreach with a long-term goal to decrease the disproportionate number of PCa deaths in BM. We conducted focus group discussions with BM to assess their perceptions and understanding of PCa and screening. Focus groups aided in the development of educational materials. Educational materials were distributed at community events. Screening was offered, at select events, using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. Men with PSA levels of ≥ 4 ng/ml were contacted for follow-up. The project included training for Henry Ford Health (HFH) providers and an assessment of their PCa screening practice. We completed 4 focus groups and distributed ~ 1000 PCa educational brochures. We participated in 45 community events between March 2022 to June 30, 2023. 340 men were screened. 28 men had an elevated PSA, and 17 men did not complete follow-up. Multiple HFH provider educational sessions were conducted. Of 129 providers who completed a screening practice assessment, 78 (60%) routinely offered PSA screening to men between ages 55-69. Between 2018 to 2023 at HFH, the PSA screening rate overall increased from 8.2% to 12.7%. Although our outreach efforts were effective at increasing PSA screening, 60.7% of men screened in our community events with elevated PSA did not follow-up. Future efforts should further reduce barriers to PCa screening and follow-up.