Lydia Buki, who has appointments in community health and educational psychology, said the current informational materials about prostate cancer are not culturally relevant to Latinos.
Lydia Buki, who has appointments in community health and educational psychology, said the current informational materials about prostate cancer are not culturally relevant to Latinos. Photo by L. Brian Stauffer CHAMPAIGN, Ill. One of the tests used in diagnosing prostate cancer is so stigmatized within Latino culture that men may be risking their lives to avoid it, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Illinois. Complex cultural and gender beliefs about manliness and sexuality that discourage Latino men from seeking health care - and stigmatize the digital rectal exam as emasculating - could explain why some men don't seek care until the cancer has progressed, diminishing their chances for recovery. While prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer among Latino men, Latinos are significantly less likely to get screened, to be informed about the disease or to have health insurance than African American or non-Latino white men. Consequently, Latinos are nearly four times as likely to be diagnosed at later stages and are more likely to die from the disease than non-Hispanic whites. Published in a recent issue of the journal Psychology of Men and Masculinity, the study involved in-depth's with and a survey of 10 self-identified Latino men ages 45 years and older who had no history of prostate cancer.
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