Table 1.

Themes and participant comments on breast and cervical cancer screening

Main themes	Questions	Participant comments
Health care utilization pattern: men are less likely to seek  preventive health care than women	How would you characterize your health care  experiences?	Language barriers; no English at all and when trying to speak English, staff are  impatient with heavy accent; resulting in longer waiting times and difficulties  in understanding doctor’s instructions and orders
	What type of health insurance do you have?	Lack of health insurance, resulting in delayed health care seeking and no  participation in screening unless insured
	What factors help you decide whether and when  you should seek a doctor for care?	Cost of getting health care vary by provider type: save time waiting by going to  private provider; public providers have sliding fee scale
General cancer beliefs: men believe that women are at a  higher risk of contracting cancer	What comes to your mind when you hear the  word cancer?	Cancer is terminal, may be treatable if detected early; resulting in disagreement  among participants over whether cancer can be prevented
Beliefs regarding breast cancer: participants have several  misconceptions about cancer etiology	What do you believe causes breast cancer?	Lifestyle (physical trauma to the breast, breastfeeding and “spoiled” milk) and  genetic factors are thought to be causes
	Do you believe that mammograms can detect  breast cancer?	Breast cancer screening can reduce risks; many were already familiar with use of  mammograms before coming to the U.S.
	What do you consider are the major barriers to  receiving a mammogram or to conduct a selfbreast  examination?	Lack of money, lack of transportation, lack of time, and embarrassment, result in  delays in screening until it is too late
Beliefs regarding cervical cancer: participants lack  knowledge about cervical cancer	What do you believe causes cervical cancer?	Risk factors are thought to be frequent intercourse; intercourse with a person with  sexually transmitted diseases; general lack of hygiene; vaginal ruptures during  delivery; resulting in higher fear of cervical cancer than of breast cancer and  uncertainty about cervical cancer screening guidelines
	What do you consider are the major barriers to  getting a Pap smear?	Having to see male provider is a potential barrier to getting a Pap smear.  However, trustworthiness and competence of provider are more important than  provider’s gender
Social support and decision-making within the couple:  women are more knowledgeable in navigating health  care system than women	From whom do you seek advice about health  matters?	Women receive health advice from variety of sources; men get health advice  mainly from partners. Women are more likely to go to a provider than men  (pre-natal care and children’s medical need)
	Does your male partner help you to get cancer  screening and if so, how?	Inflexible work schedules prevent male partners from accompanying their female  partners to doctor appointments; sometimes support is given by caring for  children while wife goes to doctor
	Do you talk with your partner about women’s  health and screening?	Good couple communication on scheduling appointment and selecting provider  but poor communication about sexual health and cancer screening
	Do you talk with your partner about men’s health  and screening?	Women encourage male partners to get regular check-ups and take care of their  health; but in case of illness, men may dominate decision-making process
	How could men make it easier to take care of  your health and to get cancer screening?	Women wish that men were more patient and understanding, would assist them in  finding a doctor and remind them of appointments
Interest in cancer educatio	Would men be interested in education about  breast and cervical cancer?	Interest in cancer education if it is at a convenient time but some men have other  priorities; prefer to receive information from women at home