Enhancing men's awareness of testicular disorders using a virtual reality intervention: the E-MAT study

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dc.check.embargoformatBoth hard copy thesis and e-thesisen
dc.check.entireThesisEntire Thesis Restricted
dc.check.opt-outNot applicableen
dc.check.reasonThis thesis is due for publication or the author is actively seeking to publish this materialen
dc.contributor.advisorHegarty, Josephineen
dc.contributor.advisorLanders, Margareten
dc.contributor.authorSaab, Mohamad M.
dc.contributor.funderUniversity College Corken
dc.date.accessioned2018-02-21T13:34:01Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.date.submitted2018
dc.description.abstractIntroduction: Testicular cancer is the most common solid tumour among men aged less than 50 years. The incidence of this malignancy is on the rise globally. Benign testicular disorders such as testicular torsion and epididymitis can be life-threatening if left untreated. Men’s awareness of testicular disorders is lacking and their help-seeking intentions for testicular symptoms are low. Aim: To design and pilot-test an intervention (E-MAT) aimed at enhancing men’s testicular awareness and promoting early help-seeking for testicular symptoms. Methods: The Medical Research Council framework helped develop and pilot-test the E-MAT intervention. The evidence-base was identified by conducting one integrative and two systematic reviews of the literature on men’s awareness of testicular disorders. A qualitative study was conducted to explore men’s (n=29) awareness of testicular disorders; help-seeking intentions for testicular symptoms; and preferred strategies for learning about testicular disorders. The theoretical literature was reviewed and the Pre-Conscious Awareness to Action framework was developed to underpin E-MAT. The feasibility and usability of the intervention were tested with 15 men and its effectiveness was pilot-tested with 49 men. Results: Men lacked awareness of testicular disorders and intended to delay help-seeking for testicular symptoms. Participants recommended novel, humorous, and interactive strategies to raise testicular awareness. E-MAT was developed as a virtual reality experience with three levels aimed at familiarising men with the normal testes and testicular symptoms and diseases and was underpinned by the Pre-Conscious Awareness to Action framework. The E-MAT intervention was found to be feasible, user-friendly, and effective in enhancing men’s knowledge, testicular awareness, help-seeking intentions, and intentions and behaviours pertaining to feeling their testes. Conclusion: Full-scale testing of E-MAT is recommended by conducting a randomised controlled trial. E-MAT can be made publicly available using various platforms and virtual reality can be used to promote men’s awareness of different health topics.en
dc.description.sponsorshipUniversity College Cork (Catherine McAuley School of Nursing and Midwifery)en
dc.description.statusNot peer revieweden
dc.description.versionAccepted Version
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen
dc.identifier.citationSaab, M. M.2018. Enhancing men's awareness of testicular disorders using a virtual reality intervention: the E-MAT study. PhD Thesis, University College Cork.en
dc.identifier.endpage467en
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10468/5533
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherUniversity College Corken
dc.rights© 2018, Mohamad M. Saab.en
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/en
dc.subjectTesticular canceren
dc.subjectTesticular diseasesen
dc.subjectAwarenessen
dc.subjectHelp-seekingen
dc.subjectVirtual realityen
dc.subjectMen's healthen
dc.thesis.opt-outfalse
dc.titleEnhancing men's awareness of testicular disorders using a virtual reality intervention: the E-MAT studyen
dc.typeDoctoral thesisen
dc.type.qualificationlevelDoctoralen
dc.type.qualificationnamePHD (Nursing)en
ucc.workflow.supervisorj.hegarty@ucc.ie
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