Afro-Caribbean men are at high risk for being diagnosed with prostate cancer, yet report poor attendance at primary care for testing. This two-armed thesis explores the barriers that Afro-Caribbean men in the UK have towards attending primary care for prostate cancer through a systematic review and five empirical studies. The systematic review found that men from ethnic minorities face considerable challenges towards attending primary care for prostate cancer. The first arm (Study 1 and Study 2) explored GPs' attitudes, beliefs and intentions towards testing Afro-Caribbean men for prostate cancer.

Study 1 was a quantitative study that found that GPs' (N = 86) tended to have a good understanding of prostate cancer and intended to test Afro-Caribbean men over men from other groups; however, they reported negative attitudes towards PSA testing. Study 2 was a qualitative follow-up, which found that participants (N = 12) reported that testing for prostate cancer is challenging due to the mixed guidance from the NHS and NICE, leading to ad-hoc testing in general practice.

The second arm featured Studies 3 and 4. Study 3 was a qualitative study exploring the attitudes and beliefs of Afro-Caribbean men (N = 14) towards prostate cancer testing. Participants reported a lack of awareness of PSA testing, stigma surrounding the DRE and mistrust of the healthcare system as barriers towards testing. Study 4 was a quantitative follow-up; however, recruitment challenges arose, reflecting the difficulties within the Caribbean community towards testing, as (N = 16) participants were recruited. 

Study 5 brought both arms together through a theory-based feasibility psycho-educational intervention. The intervention showed promise, as participants (N = 4) indicated that it improved their intentions to undergo prostate cancer testing. The findings suggest evidence which can be applied to encourage Afro-Caribbean men to attend primary care for prostate cancer and abnormal LUTS.