Become A Member

Cancer is the leading cause of death all over the world, with many more cases being diagnosed annually. There are predictions that this burden is expected to rise, with over 75 million prevalent cases, 27 million incident cases and 17 million cancer deaths expected globally by 2030. Evidence suggests that most new cases of cancers are now found in Africa, and Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), increasing from 15% in 1970, to 56% in 2008, and projected to reach about 70% by 2030. Advances in early detection and treatment methods could positively affect prognostic outcome in cancers. Despite these successes, studies in some parts of Africa have reported an unacceptably low level of compliance with screening and treatment for cancers. Among the factors identified, cultural influences stands out. Therefore, this paper examined the influence of culture on compliance with screening and treatment regime.

Culture signifies a set of norms that bind people together, therefore forming a way of life. The influence of culture on health behavior is more obvious in African societies, as important decisions are linked to it. Cultural influences, such as traditions, fear, religious and cultural obligations of modesty, fear of disclosure of results, need for spousal approval, among others, could be barriers to uptake of screening and compliance. These have been grouped into six classical cultural determinants, viz: social structure, religion, education, language, economic and political philosophies.

The two main types of social structure are individual and group attributes. Religion is the set of shared beliefs that a particular society observes, hence, it is important to be put into consideration in order to enhance compliance. Education may improve health literacy, leading to more cooperation and better compliance. Language eases communication and professional relationships. Knowledge of economic and political philosophies helps to understand the intrigues needed to improve compliance.

In conclusion, inadequate understanding of cultural factors could pose challenges in spite of good geographical and financial accessibilities, leading to late presentations, poor compliance with and uptake of screening, poor quality of life and increased mortality. Hence, there is the need to address non-medical determinants of health behavior in overcoming poor response of individuals to screening and treatment regime. This has the potential to improve cancer prognosis.