THE INFLUENCE OF PROSTATE CANCER AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS ON THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PPRACTICES OF MEN
ABSTRACT
This study was designed to investigate the influence of Prostate cancer awareness campaigns on the knowledge, attitude and practices of men in South-Eastern Nigeria. The study used survey research design through the instrumentality of questionnaire (twenty-eight items questionnaire was used as instrument for data collection). The population of the study is 8,184,951 adult males in South-Eastern Nigeria. Five research questions guided the study. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). The result of the data analyzed revealed that the awareness and knowledge level on prostate cancer is relatively low among the men in South-Eastern Nigeria. Also, most information on prostate cancer were made known to the respondents by medical practitioners, however, those respondents that are exposed to the campaigns agreed that the campaigns have influenced their behavior positively.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Cancer is the growth disorder of cells in the body. Clinically, it can be defined as a large number (up to a hundred) of complex diseases that behave differently depending on the cell types from which they originate (William, Klug et.al, 2009, p.513). It is a genetic disease which is caused by mutation that has dominated other cells. In 2000, there were 1,220,100 reported cases of new cancers and 552,200 cancer deaths, indicating that roughly half of the people who develop cancer die from it (William, Klug, et.al, 2009, p.513). Statistics emanating from different health organisations and agencies around the world indicate that there are over 16 million new cases of cancer globally. This figure, according to World Health Organization (WHO) 2011report, is likely to double in 2020 (Chustecka, 2011, p.1).  The rapid spread of this disease to a large extent is as a result of unawareness of its early symptoms which can be treated at its early stage when detected.
