RESEARCH BACKGROUNDER
EMBARGOED: 12:01AM AEDT, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2024
Australian male research findings on
benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) / enlarged prostates
Boston Scientific commissioned YouGov to perform an online quantitative survey on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) also known as an enlarged prostate, involving a nationally representative sample of 1,011 Australian men aged 50+ years between July 4 to 10, 2024.1 The data was weighted by age and region to reflect the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) population estimates of Australian men over 50 years of age. The major findings included:
Awareness of an enlarged prostate
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Nearly three in five (57%) male survey respondents aged 50+ years have heard of an enlarged prostate.
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Men aged 65+ years are more likely than men aged 50 – 64 years to have heard of an enlarged prostate (62% compared to 52%, respectively).
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Prevalence
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Nearly half (48%) of the male respondents thought an enlarged prostate affects around three in 10 men, while only four in 10 (25%) correctly reported an enlarged prostate affects more than 5 in 10 men.
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6% mistakenly stated that an enlarged prostate affects less than one in 10 men, while one in five (21%) male respondents were unsure.
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Men aged 65+ years are almost twice as likely as men aged 50 – 64 years to think an enlarged prostate affects more than five in 10 men (33% compared to 18%, respectively).
Symptoms
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The most commonly reported symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate, were frequently waking up at night to pass urine (61% of men experiencing this at least once a week), and suddenly having an urgent need to pass urine (58%).
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These symptoms were followed by a poor urine flow (53%), having difficulty getting started or dribbling urine at the end of urinating (50%), passing urine more frequently than usual (50%), and being unable to completely empty the bladder when urinating (44%).
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Those aged 65+ years are 13% more likely than those aged 50 – 64 years to experience a sudden urge to pass urine (63% compared to 50%).
Diagnosis
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Only three in 10 (31%) male respondents reported having an enlarged prostate: one in six (16%) of whom had been diagnosed; while 15% suspected they were living with an enlarged prostate, but were yet to be diagnosed.
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Men aged 65+ years are around three times as likely as men aged 50 – 64 years to admit to having been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate (25% compared to 8%, respectively).
Affect on quality of life
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Nearly two in three (64%) men living with an enlarged prostate, claim it impacts their quality of life.
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One in two (50%) male respondents said it also compromised their confidence, while two in five (40%) respondents said it affected their social life.
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More than three in four (77%) men living with an enlarged prostate, report it disrupts their sleep at least once a week, including two in five (39%) who state it disrupts their sleep every day.
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Almost three in five (59%) men living with an enlarged prostate report it disrupts their day in general at least once a week, including one in five (21%) who state it disrupts their day in general every day.
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More than half (53%) of the male respondents living with an enlarged prostate, maintain it makes them feel anxious due to needing to know where the closest toilets are, including almost one in five (18%) who say that it makes them feel this way every day.
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Furthermore, three in 10 (29%) men living with an enlarged prostate, say it compromises their ability to exercise at least once a week, including 8% who state it compromises their ability to exercise every day.
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Three in 10 (31%) employed men living with an enlarged prostate, say it disrupts their professional life at least once a week, including one in eight (12%) who say that it affects their professional life every day.
Impact of BPH on partners
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One in three (33%) married/partnered men living with an enlarged prostate report the disease has affected their relationship with their spouse/partner.
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A similar proportion (31%) state is has also affected their spouse/partner’s quality of life.
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Two in five (41%) married/partnered men living with an enlarged prostate, say it disrupts their spouse/partner’s sleep at least once a week, including one in eight (12%) who claim it affects their spouse/partner’s sleep every night.
Treatment
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Nearly three in five (56%) men living with an enlarged prostate have sought treatment.
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While one in 10 (10%) male respondents sought treatment within a month of first experiencing symptoms, many chose to delay treatment – one in seven (14%) waited two to three months, one in eight (12%) waited four to six months, while one in five (20%) waited more than six months before seeking treatment.
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One in six (17%) male respondents are yet to seek treatment, but have sought information,
14% of whom found this information to be useful, or educational, while 3% considered it not to be useful, or educational. -
One in four (25%) male respondents are yet to seek treatment or information about an enlarged prostate.
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Those aged 65+ years are more likely than those aged 50 – 64 years to have sought treatment (66% compared to 39%).
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Two in five (39%) of the male respondents aged 50 – 64 years are yet to seek treatment, or information, equating to more than twice as many as those aged 65+ years (18%).
Motivations for seeking treatment
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The top motivation for the male respondents seeking treatment for an enlarged prostate was the erroneous concern about the risk of developing prostate cancer (77% ranked this reason as one of their top 3 motivations).
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This was followed by compromised quality of life (53%), being proactively encouraged by their GP/HCP (52%), and disrupted sleep (39%).
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Less common motivations for seeking treatment include the effect of an enlarged prostate on their confidence (17%), encouragement from their spouse/partner (15%), the consequences of BPH on their mental health (14%), its effect on relationships (6%), and compromised quality of life for their spouse/partner (6%).
Factors influencing Aussie men with an enlarged prostate to not seek treatment
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The male respondents leading reason reported for not seeking treatment for an enlarged prostate, was believing it represents a normal/inevitable part of ageing (69% ranked this as one of their top three reasons), followed by:
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Being worried about the potentially invasive nature of treatment for an enlarged prostate (37%);
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Believing an enlarged prostate is benign, and can mistakenly be left untreated without serious complications (35%);
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Hoping the enlarged prostate resolves on its own (25%);
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Being worried about the potential treatment side-effects (20%);
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Being too embarrassed to discuss their enlarged prostate with their GP/HCP (19%); and
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Mistakenly believing nothing can be done about it (15%).
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Men aged 50-64 years are around three times as likely as those aged 65+ years to be too embarrassed to discuss their enlarged prostate symptoms with their GP/HCP (28% compared to 9%, respectively), and believe nothing can be done about it (22% compared to 8%, respectively)
Willingness to seek treatment
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Should the male respondents develop enlarged prostate symptoms, nine in 10 men said they would be “open” to learning more about treatment options available, including three in five (61%) who said they would be “very open”.
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More than four in five (83%) male respondents said they would be “open to seeking treatment”, including nearly three in five (56%) who would be “very open”.
Stigma
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Only one in four (26%) male respondents recall having been proactively asked by their GP or health care professional (HCP) whether they may be living with, or experiencing symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate.
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Men aged 65+ years are twice as likely as men aged 50-64 years to recall having this discussion with their GP/HCP (35% compared to 17%, respectively).
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More than three in five (63%) male respondents said they would be more likely to seek treatment for an enlarged prostate, if the topic was raised by their GP/HCP in a general health check-up.
ends#
References
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Australian market research on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). YouGov: YouGov; 2024.
