Attitude Toward Prostate Cancer Screening in Hong Kong: The Importance of Perceived Consequence and Anticipated Regret

Abstract

There are long-standing debates about the benefits of prostate cancer screening. Conflicting trial results and inconsistent recommendations regarding prostate cancer screening in clinical guidelines highlight the importance of patient factors that influence decision making in prostate cancer screening. Attitude is an important factor associated with cancer screening. However, attitudes toward prostate cancer screening among Chinese men are still poorly understood. The objective of the study was to evaluate attitudes toward prostate cancer screening and their association with prostate cancer screening intention among Chinese men. In this community-based study, 340 males were randomly recruited. Three distinct concepts related to prostate cancer screening attitudes were evaluated, including perceived consequences of screening, moral obligation, and anticipated regret. The intention to have prostate cancer screening was asked. Only 5.00% of the study participants had prostate cancer screening before, while 69.71% have an intention to undergo screening in the future. Participants with a high level of anticipated regret also had a high likelihood to have screening in the future, with an adjusted odds ratio (aOR) of 1.82. Participants who had favorable attitudes toward the consequence of participating in prostate cancer screening had a high likelihood to undergo screening, with an aOR of 1.22. Participants who were more concerned about pain and invasion of privacy were less likely to have an intention to have prostate cancer screening, with aORs of 0.53 and 0.57, respectively. To enhance screening intention, public health programs should include components related to anticipated regrets and perceived consequences.