Abstract
The given paper is devoted to the in-depth investigation of prostate cancer among African-Americans in New York City and the ways to reduce its incidence and achieve better results. The relevance of the work is proved by the statistics showing that there is a tendency towards the increase in the number of patients every year. For this reason, the research is supported by the literature review to improve the understanding of the issue and outline the basic aspects of prostate cancer among African Americans.
The paper assesses the effectiveness of the Arthur Ashe Institute’s community-based participatory approach in struggling with this health issue and outlines the results of the investigation by evaluating data collected among the targeted population and discussing its effectiveness regarding the ability to reduce prostate cancer’s incidence among the selected population group in the NYC.
Introduction
The health of the nation is one of the major concerns of modern society as it is focused on the improvement of the quality of people’s lives as one of the pillars of future evolution. For this reason, the existence of systemic health issues can be considered a serious challenge that might threaten the further development of communities. Prostate cancer belongs to this cohort as one of the problems associated with the men’s health and resulting in the emergence of severe complications.
The situation is especially dangerous if to speak about the African American population as the statistics show that the given disease’s incidence among them is 60% higher if to compare with other population groups (American Cancer Society, n.d.). For this reason, there is a critical need for an in-depth investigation of the given problem to outline the most problematic aspects and find an appropriate solution to eliminate this health issue.
With this mind, the following research question is formulated:
- In African-American men with a high risk of prostate cancer, what is the best model that could be implemented to reduce mortality rates, and incidence of prostate cancer diagnosis compared with the other ethnic groups in New York City?
From the given question, the major purpose of the research study is to determine what works best to decrease the incidence of prostate cancer and mortality rate in African Americans in New York City. Utilization of the given aim can help to evaluate the problem from different perspectives and find the most potent solution among the existing ones.
The research rests on the following hypothesis:
- Adherence to Arthur Ashe Institute’s Community-based participatory approach can help to reduce the incidence of prostate cancer and mortality rate among the African-American populations significantly by educating them about the main aspects associated with the disease and explaining the ways of promoting health and avoiding the emergence of this complex state.
Utilization of the research question and hypothesis mentioned above means that there are also both dependent and independent variables and they are introduced to evaluate the impact of certain methods on the discussed health problem. Thus, the prostate cancer incidence and the mortality rates among African American populations are dependent variables as they will be affected in the course of the research with the primary aim to attain better results. The selected intervention, Ashe Institute’s Community-based Participatory approach, can be considered an independent variable that is added to impact the investigated topic.
The research is conducted among African American men from New York, the USA, aged 45-70 years. In such a way, the main inclusion criteria are age and sex. Statistics show that this cohort belongs to the risk group as its representatives are more subjected to prostate cancer. For this reason, they are selected as the main participants of the research.
The significance of the paper comes from the increased concern about the selected topic and existing tendencies towards the growth in the number of new cases of prostate cancer among African Americans. For this reason, evaluation of the existing methods to improve the situation is critical as it will contribute to the improved knowledge of the issue and outline effective ways to minimize the potential threat.
Moreover, the paper is beneficial for nursing practice as it revolves around effective prophylactic measures and methods to educate the population and achieved better results. The results of the investigation can be applied to real-life practice to improve the current situation and assist African American men in their attempts to avoid prostate cancer.
Literature Review
The topicality of the investigated problem results in the emergence of multiple research works devoted to prostate cancer among African Americans. According to the American Cancer Society (n.d.), a disease is a form of cancer that appears in the gland cells of the prostate and usually occurs in older men. The main problem is that, as with any kind of cancer, it might result in the emergence of multiple health problems and precondition fatal results (American Cancer Society, n.d.).
The mortality rate among patients who have this type of cancer is high which means that there is a need for the intervention to improve results. Moreover, as Shenoy, Packianathan, Chen, and Vijayakumar (2016) admit, African American men face a considerably higher chance of being affected by the disease because of the existing risk factors and social peculiarities. One of the precipitating factors is the more significant prostate cancer volume peculiar to this population group, which results in the emergence of new cases and more severe complications (Shenoy et al., 2016). Additionally, investigation shows that aggressive forms of cancer are more frequent in black people (Tan, Petrovics, & Srivastava, 2018).
Cogitating about the given problem, numerous researchers note that among biological factors affecting the emergence of poor outcomes, some social aspects should be addressed. For instance, Cukor et al. (2016) are sure that African men might experience multiple problems and barriers that hinder them from acquiring data about the preventive measures to avoid the deterioration of their health and the main aspects of the disease that require consideration.
In such a way, along with the multiple credible evidence of the genetic and molecular factors’ negative impact on the development and emergence of prostate cancer among racial minorities, there is a strong need for the continuous and in-depth investigation of the environment and communities in which people belonging to risk groups live.
Furthermore, Hardiman et al. (2016) think that one of the possible factors impacting the issue is vitamin D deficiency. The issue is frequently observed among the African-American population of the USA. For this reason, one of the possible interventions to improve the situation is vitamin D supplementation that can be offered for endangered groups (Hardiman et al., 2016).
However, the better effect may be achieved via the potent educational work among these communities aimed at the improvement of the level of their members’ awareness, reconsideration of inappropriate eating habits, lifestyles, and promotion of beneficial behaviors (Nevedomskaya, Baumgart, & Haendler, 2018). Under these conditions, the researchers speaking about the given issue emphasize the fact that effective interventions aimed at the achievement of positive change should be supported by community-based programs designed for all individuals who might face the given problem.
There are multiple educational materials aimed at the empowerment of community-based prostate cancer education and the achievement of appropriate results. Speaking about them, Jackson, Owens, Friedman, and Morris (2015) assume that the additional improvements can be attained via the creation of more specified approaches that considered the existing peculiarities of men belonging to the African American population and sharing these updated materials with all who face the high risk of prostate cancer.
This idea proves the necessity of the creation of new programs as a potent way to achieve better results in the given sphere and eliminate the knowledge gap about the prostate cancer among African American men who experience the lack of data devoted to the problem. They will result in an increased level of understanding of the fundamental aspects of the given issue and ways to avoid further deterioration of the situation.
However, these programs should consider the existing socio-cultural peculiarities of the targeted population; otherwise, their effectiveness will decrease. Rebbeck (2017) mentions that some financial barriers can prevent African-Americans from acquiring the needed data and increasing their awareness level related to prostate cancer. For this reason, intervention and programs should be affordable and available for representatives of all layers of society to receive successful results (Rebbeck, 2017).
This condition means that there is a need for a simple and affordable way that will be combined with activities people perform every day. Authors also admit the necessity to use available community resources to achieve success and ensure that people who belong to the risk group will have an opportunity to engage in the process and improve the quality of their lives.
For this reason, the availability of health screening becomes another critical element of any program aimed at the improvement of the black community living. It provides an opportunity to determine the existing health problems and use the appropriate care to attain the needed result and guarantee that a patient will recover. Rybicki et al. (2016) emphasize the fact that affordability and availability of screening practices can help decrease the incidence of prostate cancer among African-Americans significantly and achieve better results in struggling against it. This information also proves the necessity of launching community-based projects that help individuals belonging to the risk group to acquire a chance for recovery and appropriate care, which is critical regarding the discussed problem and all issues associated with it.
Conceptual Framework
Community-based programs such as Barbershop Health Interventions can become one of the potent tools to improve the situation and achieve appropriate results. The conceptual framework of the given project rests on this program’s basic assumptions.
It is presupposed that the community participatory model can help to attain success in struggling against prostate cancer by reducing the number of new cases and contributing to the improved treatment results due to the in-time screening procedures. Arthur Ashe Institute paradigm offers a set of actions to encourage African-American men to seek health screening and promote a healthier community (“Barbershop based health interventions”, n.d.). It is closely related to the variables of the project which are the prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates and the effectiveness of particular programs. In such a way, it is assumed that the model can help to achieve better results and succeed.
The Method
The investigation of prostate cancer among the African-American population of New York and the effectiveness of the Arthur Ashe Institute programs can be conducted via the utilization of the appropriate methodology. It is critical to interview participants about their perspectives on prostate cancer, their knowledge about it, and how the discussed program might impact their quality of life and cancer incidence in the community.
Data acquired via the utilization of the given method can help to conclude about the effectiveness of the selected model and discuss it in terms of the project. Moreover, adherence to this method will help to increase the relevance of findings and ensure that the problem is analyzed comprehensively, considering all existing perspectives and attitudes to prostate cancer among the African-American population.
Sample and Setting
As has already been stated, the target population for the research is African American men aged 45-70 years living in New York City. They should also possess experience or knowledge about the Arthur Ashe Institute’s program. The main reason for the selection of this group is the high incidence rates of prostate cancer and mortality. That is why non-probability purposive sampling is used to select individuals needed for the study and ensure that they have all the demanded qualities and can contribute to the collection of relevant data. The appropriate sample size is 50 men who belong to the risk group and who might have prostate cancer. The setting is a community in New York City where the population consists of a considerable amount of black people and has statistically high showings of prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates.
Design
The following design for the data collection and conduction of the research can be suggested. The selected participants should be provided with the blanks containing questions about their current state of health, history, their perspective on the prostate cancer, knowledge about it, and ability to have screening procedures, and experience or attitude to Arthur Ash Programs. When these questions are answered, the blanks should be collected to analyze the information provided by the participants.
All answers should be processed to outline whether there is some improvement in individuals’ states associated with the activity of the program and how it contributed to the enhancement of the state of the community. All participants should also provide their voluntary agreement to take part in the research and share their private information with the investigator to avoid ethical issues.
Instruments
Regarding the character of the research, the survey will be used as the main data collection instrument that can provide the needed information and discuss it. The appropriate form can be found in the Appendix. It will help to show reliable data about the current state of the problem and respondents’ attitudes to it.
Data Collection Procedure
The data collection procedure can be organized simply and effectively. All respondents should be given the printed or electronic versions of surveys to provide their answers and share the needed information. After the completion of all participants, the blanks should be collected to evaluate the information contained and make certain conclusions. There is no need for specific training for data collectors as the procedure is not difficult and does not demand additional investigators to assist with the accomplishment of this task. The anonymity and confidentiality of respondents should be protected, and survey forms should not be signed. Moreover, only volunteers can be engaged in the investigation to avoid ethical issues. The given data collection procedure does not demand extra costs as it can be performed by one researcher using survey forms printed in advance.
Protection of participants
To protect participants and ensure that they correctly understand the nature of the project and all activities that will be performed, they should provide informed consent forms. A copy of the form can be found in the Appendix.
Moreover, the Decision Aid Form is created to determine whether there is a need for IRB for this project. It is also attached in the Appendix.
Data Analysis
The collected data can be investigated to determine the effectiveness of suggested measures and their program’s ability to improve the situation related to prostate cancer. The findings will be analyzed by a researcher to find a positive correlation between the increased level of knowledge among participants and their involvement in the selected community-based program. It will help to answer the formulated research question, make a conclusion about the effectiveness of the selected measure, and provide credible evidence for the discussion.
Conclusion
Altogether, prostate cancer remains a significant problem for African-American population groups in New York. The combination of sociocultural, biological, and genetic factors increases the risk and mortality rates among black men. For this reason, there is a need for effective intervention that will be able to improve the situation in the sphere and decrease the incidence of prostate cancer. The Arthur Ash Institute project can be considered a potent option as it provides an opportunity to cooperate with individuals belonging to the risk group and provide them with the facts needed for the improvement of their lives. The project contributes to the extension of knowledge in the given sphere and sets the ground for further discussions required to minimize the risk of prostate cancer.
References
American Cancer Society. (n.d.). What is prostate cancer? Web.
Barbershop based health interventions. (n.d.). Web.
Cukor, D., Van Halen, N., Fraser-White, M., Primus, K., Kaur, K., Furer, T., & Salifu, M. (2016). Sleep health in a black community sample. Sleep Health, 2(2), 136-142. Web.
Hardiman, G., Savage, S., Hazard, E., Wilson, R., Courtney, S., Smith, M., … Gattoni-Celli, S. (2016). Systems analysis of the prostate transcriptome in African–American men compared with European–American men. Pharmacogenomics, 17(10), 1129-1143. Web.
Jackson, D., Owens, O., Friedman, D., & Morris, R. (2015). Innovative and community-guided evaluation and dissemination of a prostate cancer education program for African-American men and women. Journal of Cancer Education, 30(4), 779-785. Web.
Nevedomskaya, E., Baumgart, S., & Haendler, B. (2018). Recent advances in prostate cancer treatment and drug discovery. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 19(5), 1359. Web.
Rebbeck, T. (2017). Prostate cancer genetics: Variation by race, ethnicity, and geography. Seminars in Radiation Oncology, 27(1), 3-10. Web.
Rybicki, B., Kryvenko, O., Wang, Y., Jankowski, M., Trudeau, S., Chitale, D., … Tang, D. (2016). Racial differences in the relationship between clinical prostatitis, presence of inflammation in benign prostate and subsequent risk of prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Disorders, 19(2), 145-150. Web.
Shenoy, D., Packianathan, S., Chen, A. M., & Vijayakumar, S. (2016). Do African-American men need separate prostate cancer screening guidelines? BMC urology, 16(1), 19. Web.
Tan, S., Petrovics, G., & Srivastava, S. (2018). Prostate cancer genomics: Recent advances and the prevailing underrepresentation from racial and ethnic minorities. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 19(4), 1255. Web.
Appendix
Survey form
- What is your current state of health?
- What is your health history?
- What do you know about prostate cancer?
- Do you know that Africa-Americans belong to the risk group?
- What prophylactic measures to avoid cancer do you perform?
- What symptoms of prostate cancer do you know?
- Have you ever had health screening?
- What is your perspective on the Arthur Ash Institute program?
- How did it help you?
- What measures should be introduced to improve the situation regarding prostate cancer?
Consent Form
I have read all the information related to the project, or it has been read to me. I was provided with the opportunity to ask investigators about it and all they were answered in the way that satisfied me. I consent voluntarily to take part in the study and become a participant of the research who will share his/her private data.
Print Name of Participant__________________
Signature of Participant ___________________
Date ___________________________.
Decision Aid Form
- Are human subjects involved in the research?
Yes
- Does the project use private information?
Yes
- Does the project meet the definition of research (uses qualitative or quantitative data, contribute to the generalized knowledge)?
Yes.
There is a need for IRB approval.