Table 1.
Knowledge and stereotypes of cancer
| Knowledge - Prognosis of cancer (deadly and incurable) | |
|---|---|
| 1. | “We were also told that he was going to die, and we just watched him going through the agony.” (Soweto NGO group) |
| 2. | “I would think of committing suicide… I would be shocked if I’m told it is cancer I have.” (Soweto Church group) |
| 3. | “I would be stressed and depressed every day. I would always be sick because of stress.” (Soweto Church group) |
| Knowledge - Uncertainty about causes of cancer | |
| 4. | “What about a person who does not smoke and still gets cancer? Because my mother did not smoke and she did not drink.”(East London Traditional Healers’ group) |
| 5. | “I want to know what causes these cancers.” (Khayelitsha Church group) |
| 6. | “Another thing is that I don’t understand is how one can inherit cancer. How can one get something from someone [without physical contact] and [without having similar] lifestyle?” (Soweto Political and Community Leaders’ group). |
| Stereotype - Physical Contagion | |
| 7. | “…giving you a different bed, blankets and dishes to use” (Khayelitsha Church group); |
| 8. | “Even if you bathe him, you put on a mask” (East London Church group). |
| 9. | “When you help by trying to put herbs on the wound, you may touch and thereby get cancer” (Soweto Traditional Healers’ group). |
| Stereotype - Witchcraft | |
| 10. | “We black people have this belief that there are sicknesses that come as a result of witchcraft… Even if one is told that its cancer they may not even believe it…” (Soweto Political and Community Leaders’ group). |
| 11. | “The reason why we believe that it is witchcraft is because some people that are affected will mention that they were poisoned. In the black communities we believe that it is sold, and people can buy it to give it to other people” (Khayelitsha Traditional Healers’ group). |
| 12. | “People only know about oesophagus cancer and because they do not know what the course is and thought they were bewitched.” |
| 13. | “People can put cancer in your food, those who hate you. But when you have God, you forget who is bewitching you, you just focus on yourself.” (East London Church group) |
| Stereotypes attributed to White group | |
| 14. | “Even children get cancer; they get it when they are still very young, especially white people.” (East London Traditional Healers’ group) |
| 15. | “I have been thinking that cancer is for white people and a lot of people think like that.” (Soweto Church group) |
| 16. | “They call cancer a white man disease because white people eat refined food. We, black, people get it a lot because we have adopted the white man’s food. Research has shown that what black people used to eat did not promote the abnormal growth of cells as in cancer.” (Soweto Traditional Healers’ group) |
| Stereotypes - Gender, Sexuality, Promiscuity | |
| 17. | “I used to be promiscuous with boys, so I think I can get it (cancer).” (Soweto NGO group) |
| 18. | “Also, because I got pregnant at an early stage … so I think I can get it (cancer).” (Soweto NGO group) |
| 19. | “Because I have many children I think I can have it.” (East London NGO group) |
| 20. | “Yes, I can have it, because I am breastfeeding, so I may have it because of that, breast cancer.” (East London Church group) |