External and Intrinsic Factors Impacting Informed Decision-Making
| Theme | Definition | Quote |
|---|---|---|
| External factors | ||
| Interpersonal influences | Impact of important referent individuals on an individual's opinions or beliefs about his health. Includes both direct communication and hearing stories of what has happened to friends/family | “Well, you know, I think… I think I'd go through it (prostate cancer screening), only for the knowin' so many people that's went through it, and talking to them.” (FG2) “I think my father died from prostate cancer if I'm not mistaken…And um, I've got a good friend of mine, um, he say now any time after 55 its almost, like, imperative that you get screened for prostate.” (FG1) |
| Clinician communication | Impact of clinician on a man's behavior or understanding. | “We will accept that whatever our doctor tell us,..and if they don't say anything, we just say well that's cool. Everything alright. We just will accept what our doctor says.” (FG5) “Well, I mean, pretty much mine just recommended havin' the test.” (FG2) |
| Intrinsic factors | ||
| Pride* | A feeling of manhood encompassing the importance of strength, virility, and not wanting to burden others | “[Erectile dysfunction as a side effect of prostate cancer treatment] would be devastating to me. I got a wife at home, you know (laughter). And if that were to happen to me, shit, I mean, I don't know. You know, you think about yourself less than a man.” (FG1) “They don't wanna see you in no pampers, you know? That turns off everything!” (FG2) |
| Care avoidance* | Failure to care for oneself or seek medical care even if one has the agency to do so | “Some of these people just not used… they get raised up in families that never go to doctors. And I'm being serious. I grew up with plenty of people that didn't go to doctors.” (FG3) “I came from a culture of men who didn't go to doctors. My wife talk to me about it, but I go to the doctor way more than most men I know.” (FG4) |
| Motivated by racial disparities* | Black men are motivated to seek additional health information or to change health behaviors due to their knowledge of health disparities | “I mean with the [knowledge that prostate cancer disproportionately impacts Black men] they probably would come get screened. You know. They would deal with that risk.” (FG2) “It's sad that… the Black numbers [of participants in research studies informing prostate cancer screening knowledge] are that low that y'all can't even really give us the information that we really need.” (FG3) |
FG, focus group.
↵* Indicates code that was added during the iterative codebook review process