Understanding Prostate Cancer Screenings among African American Men: Combining the Behavioral Science and Anthropological Perspectives

摘要

This paper synthesizes the perspectives from behavioral science and medical anthropology to discuss factors affecting prostate cancer screenings among African American men. It argues that the hegemonic health behavior model historically used to frame prostate cancer screenings without considering the context in which African American men are embedded. By the same token, the sociocultural perspective tends to articulate the cultural meaning and social relationships experienced by patients; however, it may operate largely in its own field and becomes somewhat peripheral to the domain of traditional behavioral models. This paper accordingly suggests that through exploration of a synthetic approach combining behavioral science and anthropological perspectives, we can display the relationship between individual – (e.g., perceived threats) and sociocultural – related factors (e.g., intimate and family relationship, socioeconomic status, and sense of masculinity) and practices of prostate cancer screenings among African American men.