Illiteracy Leads to Delay In Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
The differences in literacy rates between African-American and white males may explain why the prostate cancer death rate of the former is more than twice the latter, concludes new research done by Northwestern University in Chicago and Louisiana State University Medical Center in Shreveport.
The study of 212 low-income men found that African-Americans were almost twice as likely than whites to be diagnosed with stage D (advanced) prostate cancer.
And low-income African-Americans were likely to score poorly on literacy tests than were poor whites (52.3% versus 8.7%, respectively).
When researchers considered literacy rates, they found that race was no longer a "significant predictor of advanced-stage prostate cancer."
They conclude that prevention efforts aren't adequately reaching illiterate or subliterate populations.
Communication efforts that target this low-income, high-risk population must be less technical in stressing the importance of screening and early detection.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death (after lung cancer) among American men with more than 200,000 new cases diagnosed in the U.S. every year, according to the American Cancer Society. (LSUMC, 318/675-6800; NU, 312/503-8649)
Get 'Back to the Basics' For Positive Employee Behavior
Trendy management concepts such as "workplace teams" don't generate positive employee morale and commitment if basic standards aren't in place, according to a new study by The Ohio State University, in Columbus.
The basics like job security and strategic employee relations campaigns that support the organization's mission are more important in determining employee performance.
Factors such as insensitive or abusive management top the list of why employees withhold effort and sometimes sabotage the workplace.
Researchers also looked at "citizenship behaviors," which involves aiding colleagues and employees' overall commitment to corporate goals and found that this behavior was more prevalent in environments that offer employees more skilled jobs and autonomy.
This finding suggests that getting extra effort from employees, requires more than just basic standards.
The study is based on 86 employee case studies nationwide. (Ohio State University, 614/292-6446)
Teens Unaware Of "Morning After" Pill
Teenagers have low awareness of the emergency contraception available by prescription to help prevent unwanted pregnancies after unprotected sex, according to a new study conducted by the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, Calif.
Only 28 percent of the teens surveyed had heard of the "morning after" pill and 23 percent knew that something was available to prevent pregnancy.
The telephone survey involved 1,500 girls and boys ages 12 to 18 and key findings include:
- Teenage girls were more likely than boys to know about the emergency contraception (33% compared with 24%).
- Of the 28 percent of teens who were aware of emergency contraception, 32 percent were unaware that they needed a prescription to get it and nearly three-quarters did not know how late after unprotected sex they could take it.
The study's lead author, Dr. Felicia H. Stewart of Kaiser, suggests that the industry launch more aggressive and targeted communications campaigns to educate youth about this contraceptive option and that physicians discuss it more "within the context of pregnancy-prevention counseling."
The study was published in the August issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 650/854-9400)