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April 15-16, 2019 | Frankfurt, Germany
Oncology Nursing and Cancer Care
16
th
International Conference on
Journal of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics | Volume 4
Cancer through black eyes - The views of UK based black men towards Cancer: A
constructive grounded theory study
Betselot Mulugeta
NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Background:
Little is known about black African
(BA) and black African-Caribbean (BAC) men’s
views towards cancer; yet culture and acculturation
determine the way in which people understand,
explain and develop their attitudes towards cancer.
Hence, cancer prevention and early detection
strategies may not be sensitive to United Kingdom
(UK)-based black men’s views, affecting their
awareness of risk factors and early detection services.
An evidence-based understanding of black men’s
views towards cancer is needed to effectively target
cancer prevention strategies. This qualitative study
explored the influence of culture on the views of UK-
based BA and BAC men towards cancer.
Methods:
In collaboration with black community
organisations based in four major cities in the UK, 25
participants were recruited using convenience and
theoretical sampling methods. Data were collected
using 33 semi-structured interviews, and analysed
using grounded theory analytic procedures.
Results:
Participants had distinct beliefs concerning
the causes of cancer, which influenced how they
viewed cancer as a whole. Cancer was not viewed
as a purely medical condition. Black men’s views
towards cancer were closely linked to socially
constructed perspectives of themselves, linked
with their cultural and religious beliefs, and shaped
by what being a black male means in society, the
meanings of historical phenomena like slavery,
and the meanings ascribed to social systems and
establishments, including the healthcare system.
Clinical risk factors such as smoking and obesity had
different meanings and symbolisation through black
eyes. There were macro- and micro-level similarities
and differences between BA and BAC men.
Conclusions:
Cancer services and related public-
health campaigns aimed at black men need to
understand cancer through black eyes. Public
health campaigns based solely on the clinical
meaning of cancer are incongruent with black
men’s understandings of cancer, and therefore
ineffective at reducing health inequality. Findings
from this study can be used to inform public health
policy makers and healthcare professionals more
broadly, including professionals involved in health
promotion, as well as charitable organisations that
provide services to BA and BAC men.
e
:
b.mulugeta@nhs.net