Factors affecting African American men's use of online colorectal cancer education.

Abstract

Colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence rates have decreased due to the increased use of CRC screenings that permit the detection and removal of polyps. However, CRC is still the second most common cause of cancer death among men ages 40 to 79 years; incidence and mortality rates for CRC are higher among African American (AA) men than among white men and AA women. CRC screening rates for AA men are comparable to their counterparts of other racial groups, but adherence to the screening guidelines is less, contributing to disparities in CRC mortality. Internet use is widespread and could be a channel to reach and disseminate health information to AA men; however, there are disparities in Internet use, and limited literature exists on how to best address this divide. This pilot project sought to understand African American male attitudes on colorectal cancer screening (CRCS), receipt of CRCS information, and the best strategy to provide African American men online CRCS education. Three focus groups and a feasibility trial were completed with African American men, ages of 45 to 75. Data suggest that disseminating information online is not a very effective way to reach older African American men with limited education. Although we do not recommend using websites among this population, email was more effective in getting participants to the website even though participants expressed a preference for phone messages. Recommendations for future research are provided.