Rural Mexican American men's attitudes and beliefs about cancer screening

Introduction. Mexican American men are thought to receive fewer cancer scre ening services for prostate and colon cancer than the general male populati on; however, little is known about this group. Methods. A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted to examine the knowledge, beliefs, atti tudes, and use of cancer screening services among a sample of high-accultur ated Mexican American, low-acculturated Mexican American, and non-Mexican A merican white men in Washington State. A total of 158 men (127 Mexican Amer ican; 31 non-Mexican American white) completed an in-pet-son interview. Res ults. The Mexican American men were more likely to report employment in agr iculture and had completed fewer years of formal education compared with th e non-Mexican American men, and were more likely than their non-Mexican Ame rican counterparts to have little knowledge about the causes of cancer and the need for cancer prevention practices. Further, the Mexican American men were more likely to report avoidant and fatalistic attitudes about cancer. Conclusion. Future research should address variables that are related to t he low level of cancer screening among Mexican American men.