Using card games to study cultural differences in men’s social talk about prostate cancer

AIM: To report the Card Games approach used to study men's talk about their risk for prostate cancer and as a method of data collection to analyse patterns of talk amongst distinct cultural groups. DESIGN: A constructivist grounded theory approach using focus groups to analyse men's social talk about prostate cancer METHODS: Data were collected using three focus groups with African-Caribbean, Somali and White British men. The focus groups were conducted in a location of the men's choice with a focus group facilitator and observer. Four Card Games were given to the men to encourage social talk. RESULTS: The African-Caribbean men had the most democratic talk with the use of agreement and disagreement and the Somali men were the most inclusive of others and used the most humour. The White British men were competitive in their talk and the least inclusive of each other's views. CONCLUSION: The Card Games revealed differences in the pattern of talk, which provided insight into how men may use social talk to develop their understanding of prostate cancer risk. This is useful for healthcare professionals as it provides a grounding for structuring discussions with men about prostate cancer, whilst understanding of how risk-related knowledge may be reconstructed in social talk and interactions. IMPACT: The methodology discussed in this paper addressed the use of focus group to analyse talk of men from culturally diverse groups. The use of Card Games allowed the talk between the men to take centre stage and this allowed differences in the social talk of the men to become apparent. The use of this methodology could have an impact on approaches to researching cultural understandings of cancer risk, which may provide evidence on effective delivery of sociocultural relevant health education relating to cancer screening.