BBC
Researchers hope to find out if WhatsApp group chats can save the lives of black men at risk of prostate cancer.
One in four black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer, compared to one in eight white men and one in 13 men of other ethnicities, according to Prostate Cancer Research.
Many are not aware of this high risk, according to Steve Khaireh, a Cardiff community worker involved in the research, adding that “they don’t listen to health professionals”.
Now Dr Sarah Fry is leading research, working with men in Cardiff, to assess the value of sharing health information through WhatsApp with at-risk groups.
Receiving a nudge to get tested from someone other than a medical professional is something Julian Delaney from Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan, is thankful for.
In 2016 he attended a talk at the Rotary Club where he was urged to get a test, setting in motion a chain of events the 73 year-old had not foreseen.
‘Black men should get tested for prostate cancer’
With no symptoms, he admits he thought cancer “wouldn’t happen to him”.
“When people tell you you’ve got prostate cancer it terrifies you,” he explains.
“But I asked a lot of questions, I researched and spoke to as many people I could.”
Julian decided to have his prostate removed and has been cancer free ever since.
His experience meant the former British Gas worker advised his three brothers to get tested and even had to tell one of them to return to the GP when the doctor told him he did not need one.
“It’s a lack of knowledge in a lot of cases, they say to ask questions but if you don’t know the questions to ask, you’re stuck.”
Dr Fry’s study was influenced by her time as a research nurse in Velindre Cancer Centre where she realised there were very few black men in her clinics.
She now has funding from Cancer Research UK for this small pilot project.
It will be led by men in the community, following her previous research which suggested men from different ethnic communities were more likely to respond positively to health information shared between friends.
