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Whether they see themselves as tough or just self-reliant, men areless likely than women to seek routine, preventive medical care,like blood pressure and cholesterol screenings. However, a new study from the University of North Carolina atChapel Hill suggests that African-American men delay going to thedoctor because they do not trust the health-care system, ratherthan because they feel the need to display their masculinity. "Men's concepts of what it means to be a 'real' man are generallyshaped by traditional masculine role norms, which encourage men tobe extremely self-reliant and these norms often affect their healthbehavior," said Wizdom Powell Hammond, Ph.D., assistant professorof health behavior and health education at the UNC Gillings Schoolof Global Public Health and a member of UNC's LinebergerComprehensive Cancer Center. "We've seen in other studies that menwith strong commitment to traditional masculine role norms delayhealth care because they don't want to seem weak. "But this study shows that the opposite may be true forAfrican-American men," Hammond said. "Their delays in gettingroutine check-ups are attributable more to medical mistrust. Theirbeliefs about masculinity may not always have a negative impact ontheir use of health care." Hammond's study, "Masculinity, Medical Mistrust and PreventiveHealth Services Delays Among Community-Dwelling African-AmericanMen," appears in the December 2010 issue of the Journal of General Internal Medicine . The study was based on surveys of 610 African-American men, aged 20and older, recruited primarily in barbershops in the North, South,Midwest and West regions of the U.S. The authors adjusted forpossible differences in age, education, income, health insurance,health status and access to a regular physician. Men with a stronger commitment to traditional masculine role normswere 23 percent less likely to delay blood pressure screening and38 percent less likely to delay getting their cholesterol checkedthan men with a weaker commitment to such norms, the researchfound. On the other hand, men who reported being highly mistrustfulof the medical system were more than twice as likely to delayroutine check-ups and cholesterol screenings and three times morelikely to delay having their blood pressure checked by a physicianor health-care professional than men who were less mistrustful. "What we found is that mistrust of the medical system accounts fordelays in using health care, especially among olderAfrican-American men," Hammond said. "The survey results indicatedthat African-American men consider preventive medical services,like getting their blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked,as a demonstration of masculinity, rather than a denial of it." Previous studies have shown that, among adults, men are less likelythan women to use preventive health services and wait longer aftersymptom onset before seeking care. This underuse of preventativeservices coincides with shorter life spans and more preventabledeaths among men than women. Compared to non-Hispanic white men, Hammond said, African-Americanmen go less often for preventive health visits, are less likely toknow their cholesterol levels, have poorer blood pressure controland face greater illness and premature death from conditions thatusually respond well to treatments if caught in early stages. "To improve the health of African American men, we should consideraddressing why they lack trust in the health-care system and itsproviders," Hammond said. "Health-care providers and public healthprofessionals also might consider leveraging traditional masculineself-reliance in interventions and clinical encounters as a way toempower African American men to 'seize control' of their health.This gendered, patient-centered approach could shift powerbalances, perhaps inspiring greater health-care system trust amongAfrican-American men." Other authors of the study are Giselle Corbie-Smith, Ph.D.,associate professor of social medicine and epidemiology in the UNCGillings School of Global Public Health and the UNC School ofMedicine; Derrick Matthews, Ph.D. candidate, and Amma Agyemang,research associate, both in the public health school's healthbehavior and health education department; and Dinushika Mohottige,student in the UNC School of Medicine. Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Additional References Citations. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China IR Bullet Cameras , Pixim Cameras Manufacturer, and more. For more , please visit Waterproof IR Camera today!
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