224
Margareth Santos Zanchetta and Marguerite Cognet, Ryerson University, Université Paris 7; Spyridoula
Xenocostas and David Aoki, CSSS de la Montagne, Peel Health Department; Yves Talbot, University of
Toronto.
This study was supported by a Queen’s University Research Initiation Grant. The authors acknowledge
the members of the Kingston Prostate Cancer Support Group, Kingston, ON, Canada, for their support and
contribution in the recruitment of the participants. Special acknowledgements go to the participants for mak-
ing this study possible, to Dr. Juliet Corbin for her kindness and inestimable advice on the analysis, to Dr.
Heather Bealands, Dr. Margaret Malone and Dr. Marko Monteiro for reviewing the manuscript, and to Mar-
garet Oldfield for editing the manuscript. The preparation of this article was supported by a grant from the
Ryerson University Faculty of Community Services SIRS Fund, awarded to the first author.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Margareth Santos Zanchetta, School of
Nursing, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON Canada M5B 2K3. Electronic mail: mzanchet@ryerson.ca
International Journal of Men’s Health, Vol. 6, No. 3, Fall 2007, 224-258.
© 2007 by the Men’s Studies Press, LLC. http://www.mensstudies.com. All rights reserved.
jmh.0603.224/$12.00 DOI: 10.3149/jmh.0603.224
Prostate Cancer among Canadian Men:
A Transcultural Representation
MARGARETH SANTOS ZANCHETTA MARGUERITE COGNET
Ryerson University, Université Paris 7
SPYRIDOULA XENOCOSTAS DAVID AOKI
CSSS de la Montagne, Peel Health Department
YVES TALBOT
University of Toronto
Health services should consider the masculine representation of disease that
underlies men’s health behaviors. This study presents a transcultural view of
Prostate Cancer (PC) among Canadian men of European descent. Nine men
who were enrolled in a PC support group in Southeastern Ontario comprised
the sample. Data were collected through interviews, genograms and ecomaps.
The contrasting-ideas method guided analysis and interpretation of the find-
ings. Healthcare providers must assist men to understand that an immediate in-
vestment of time is imperative to adequately decode and understand medical
information, consider available therapies, and reflect on the potential outcome
of their decisions.
Keywords: prostate cancer, masculinity, transcultural representation
Beliefs about the origins and natural course of cancer vary among cultures and in-
fluence individuals’ attitudes about prevention, screening, and management programs