'It's caveman stuff, but that is to a certain extent how guys still operate': men's accounts of masculinity and help seeking.

Testicular cancer awareness and self-examination among adolescent males in a community-based youth organization.

Cancer knowledge of the general public in the United Kingdom: survey in a primary care setting and review of the literature.

Objective. Although testicular cancer is the most common cancer among 15- to 35-year-old male individuals, physicians seldom conduct testicular self-examination (TSE) education, thus potentially missing opportunities for early detection. Pediatric residents should be learning TSE skills training and be encouraged to incorporate them into routine practice. There are no published studies addressing the medical education and practices of pediatric residents regarding testicular cancer and TSE. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of pediatric residents who teach TSE to their adolescent patients, and significant factors related to teaching TSE. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted of all pediatric residents at 2 pediatric residency programs during the 2000 to 2001 academic year. A self-administered, 37-item Internet-based questionnaire was developed, pilot-tested, and then used. Statistical analyses included frequency distributions, univariate analysis, correlation coefficient, and logistic regression. Results. A total of 129 (61%) of the eligible pediatric residents participated. Fourteen (29%) of the male residents reported performing TSE on themselves at least once a month, and 30 (61%) reported performing TSE at least every 3 months. The most frequent reason cited for not performing TSE monthly was “know how, but forget to do it” (97%). Forty (40%) of all residents reported teaching TSE to their 12- to 21-year-old male patients during a routine annual physical examination. The 2 most common reasons for not teaching TSE were “never thought about including it” (36%) and “lack of time” (29%). The senior-level residents reported teaching TSE to their male patients during a routine annual physical examination more often (51%) than the first-year pediatric residents (21%; odds ratio [OR]: 3.99; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5–10.5). There was no difference in teaching TSE between the male residents who report performing TSE (43%) and those who do not perform TSE (37%; OR: 1.27; 95% CI: 0.36–4.5) and between male and female residents (OR: 0.9; 95% CI: 0.44–1.9). There was no association between knowledge of TSE and testicular cancer with teaching TSE or practicing TSE. In a logistic regression model, confidence in testicular examination (OR: 3.1; 95% CI: 1.2–7.9), confidence teaching TSE (OR: 3.6; 95% CI: 1.2–10.9), and knowing someone with testicular cancer (OR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.0–5.8) were associated with residents’ teaching TSE to their patients. Conclusion. Fewer than half of the pediatric residents teach TSE to their adolescent patients. Confidence in performing a testicular examination, confidence in teaching TSE, and knowing someone with testicular cancer were the most important factors related to teaching TSE. This information could be used to design an educational intervention to increase physician promotion of TSE and ultimately increase young males’ TSE practices. Additional studies are recommended to determine the generalizability of these results.

Teaching testicular self-examination: education and practices in pediatric residents.

The main objective of this study was to assess the knowledge of and attitudes toward testicular cancer (TC) and the prevalence of testicular self-examination (TSE) among senior high school male students in Sweden. Another aim was to describe to what extent the students had received information about TC and TSE prior to this study. Seven hundred twenty-seven (70.7%) male students (M = 17 years) completed a 60-item questionnaire, encompassing background characteristics, information, knowledge of and attitudes toward TC, and prevalence of TSE practice. The results showed that most students had never heard of TC or TSE, had limited knowledge of common symptoms, and had hardly ever practiced TSE. The most frequently reported information source on this topic was the mass media. Most of the students considered TC to be a serious disease and were afraid of getting it. Thus, there is a need for imparting health education with respect to this subject, information that could preferably be included when promoting health in school settings and during enlistment to the military services. This investigation is the first part of an intervention study aiming to describe the effect of different educational materials on male students' knowledge of TC and their practice of TSE.

Testicular cancer and testicular self-examination: knowledge and attitudes of adolescent Swedish men.

Testicular cancer remains the most commonly occurring cancer in young men (aged 20–45 years) and recent trends suggest an increase throughout the western world. Whilst testicular cancer is highly treatable late diagnosis resulting in poorer treatment outcomes remains a problem. Testicular self-examination (TSE) a procedure whereby young men can routinely systematically examine their testicles has been advocated as a particularly effective health education intervention. This study aimed to establish the knowledge of testicular cancer and prevalence of TSE practice amongst young men. A descriptive survey approach using a 16-item self-report questionnaire was administered to a convenience sample of 203 male undergraduate and postgraduate students at the University of Huddersfield. Results indicated that the majority of the respondents were either uninformed or misinformed about the risks and symptoms of testicular cancer although 78% indicated an interest in accessing information. Only 32% had prior knowledge of TSE, 22% practiced TSE, and worryingly only a single respondent was able to recognize the correct procedure and indicated he regularly practiced TSE. Sixty-eight per cent indicated that TSE should be a part of general health assessments for men. Although some critics of TSE argue the cost of teaching TSE outweighs the benefits in terms of early diagnosis this study suggests that young men may be willing to participate in an aspect of personal health surveillance. If this is the case then low cost strategies to increase impact on the target audience should be considered.

R.A. Moore

Papers

Young men’s knowledge of testicular cancer and testicular self‐examination: a lost opportunity?