Pilot implementation study of a web-based men's health screening app in primary care during COVID-19: a mixed-methods approach.

BACKGROUND: The traditional delivery of healthcare services, including crucial preventive measures such as health screenings, faced significant disruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, eHealth technology emerged as a practical alternative for conducting screening services. This pilot study introduces ScreenMen, a web-based app for men's health screening, implemented in a primary care setting. The study aims to assess patient uptake and healthcare provider's acceptability and feasibility of implementing ScreenMen, emphasizing the importance of implementation science research in healthcare innovation. METHODS: This study employed a mixed-method explanatory sequential design, using a tailored implementation intervention to implement ScreenMen in an urban health clinic. Quantitative phase focused on patient uptake of ScreenMen and healthcare provider involvement, utilizing Google Analytics and provider questionnaires. Qualitative phase, using in-depth interviews with providers, explored factors influencing uptake and implementation. Data analysis employed means and percentages for quantitative data and framework analysis for qualitative data. RESULTS: We invited 47 healthcare providers to attend the ScreenMen implementation workshop, with 26 participating, resulting in a 55.3% participation rate. Throughout the five-month study, there were 75 recorded accesses, with a completion rate of 20%. The primary way users accessed the app was through QR codes on buntings (38.7%), followed by postcards (12%). In qualitative interviews with three healthcare providers, it was found that the Identify and prepare champions strategy was helpful, as these champions led the implementation and encouraged other providers to promote ScreenMen. The use of QR codes on buntings, part of the Provide education and training strategy, was effective due to their visibility in patient waiting areas. However, the Mandate change strategy was considered ineffective, as providers felt obligated rather than motivated to implement ScreenMen. CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the uptake of ScreenMen and found barriers and facilitators during the pilot implementation. Two useful strategies were Identify and prepare champions and QR codes while Mandate change was not helpful. Further studies are needed to study the effectiveness of these implementation strategies to implement web-based apps. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Trial Number: NCT06388473 (Retrospectively registered 05/04/2024).

Advancing preventive health care for men across the lifespan.

ABSTRACT: Historically, cisgender men have been found to be reluctant to utilize healthcare services, particularly preventive care services. NPs can bridge this gap to address health disparities among men, who are more likely to develop life-threatening conditions and who generally face higher mortality at younger ages than women. Focusing on advancing preventive care among men strengthens family, community, and societal health, and the NP is crucial in fostering a culture of preventive care in this population. To help drive this change, use of a life-stage approach that incorporates a preventive care mindset is critical. The NP should tailor health strategies to each life phase to ensure that men receive the best preventive care possible across the lifespan.

The Commercial Determinants of Men's Health Promotion: A Case Study of Gambling, Nonnies, and Athleisurewear.

Although the social determinants of health have guided equity work with the tailoring of men's health promotion programs, the role of, and potential for, the commercial determinants of health in those interventions is rarely addressed and poorly understood. While four commercial products, tobacco, alcohol, ultra-processed food, and fossil fuels, account for more than a third of global deaths, there is a need to recognize that consumer goods industries can make both positive and negative contributions to health. This article begins much-needed discussions about what we might learn from, and strategically tap in the commercial sector to seed, scale, and sustain men's health promotion programs. Three case studies, online sports betting, beer and the rise of the nonny, and athleisurewear, are discussed. Connections between online sports betting and masculinities explain young men's disproportionate involvement and gambling addictions with recommendations to legislate an end to gambling advertisements and de-incentivize industry profiteering through penalties and higher taxes. Regarding beer and the rise of the nonny, brewers have innovated with non-alcoholic beer based on shifting consumption patterns and masculinities in their core market-men. The nonny reminds health promoters to know their end-user's values and behaviors to bolster program acceptability. Detailing Under Armour and Lululemon, two highly gendered but diversifying athleisurewear brands, the complexities of, and potential for, leveraging public health and industry collaborations are underscored. Taken together, the article findings suggest men's health promoters should rigorously explore tapping key commercial entities and tax revenues to advance the health of men and their communities.

MANifest Health Theory: A Holistic Approach to Cis-Gender Men's Health.

Men's health has often been overlooked in health care, with traditional gender norms and societal expectations significantly shaping men's health behaviors and attitudes. The MANifest Health Theory (MHT) offers a comprehensive framework to address cis-gender men's unique health needs by considering the complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors. Rooted in four interconnected core concepts-Biopsychosocial Model, Health Optimization, Health Synchronicity, and Ethnocultural Expression-MHT provides a holistic understanding of men's health. This article explores how MHT integrates inductive and deductive reasoning, describing, explaining, predicting, and controlling aspects of men's health. Key components such as Gender-Sensitive Care, Health Empowerment, Supportive Environments, and Interdisciplinary Collaboration are discussed in relation to practical strategies for health care delivery. The limitations of MHT, including its developmental status, cultural applicability, and inclusivity of diverse gender identities, are acknowledged. Future steps for validating and refining the theory through empirical research, cultural adaptation, and inclusion of diverse gender experiences are outlined. By applying MHT, health care professionals can deliver more holistic and culturally competent care, promoting healthier lifestyles and reducing health care disparities among men.

The Impact of Undermining Coparenting on the Mental and Physical Health Outcomes of Black Fathers: The Role of Depression and Restrictive Emotionality.

The parenting literature has established the coparenting relationship as central to the parenting behaviors and outcomes of men. The construct of coparenting encompasses supportive efforts among individuals that facilitate the rearing of children and unsupportive actions that can undermine parenting efforts (Merrifield & Gamble, 2013). Few studies have examined undermining coparenting as an experience that shapes Black men's health outcomes. In this study, we apply the social determinants of health framework to examine the impact of Black fathers' perceptions of undermining coparenting on their self-reported ratings of mental and physical health. Using a nationally representative sample of Black men (n = 255), correlational analyses revealed perceptions of undermining coparenting to be a significant predictor of higher levels of anger and poorer perceptions of physical health. These relationships were found to be mediated by depressive symptoms and moderated by restrictive emotionality. It is recommended that the negative impact of undermining coparenting on health be considered as a potential comorbidity contributing to negative health outcomes for Black men. This study adds to the literature on coparenting, Black men's health, and Black fatherhood more generally and urges policymakers and practitioners to consider undermining as an often overlooked, but significant, social determinant of health impacting the well-being of Black men. We also offer recommendations for promoting Black men's health by educating families on the effects of undermining and offering the supports necessary for achieving positive coparenting dynamics.

Black men's health-related quality of life: A qualitative study to understand community-identified perception and needs.

OBJECTIVE: Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multidimensional indicator of overall health associated with premature mortality. Black men score low on measures of HRQoL, but it is unclear how Black men conceptualize HRQoL and whether there have been efforts to promote HRQoL among these men. The present qualitative study to understand Black men's conceptualization of HRQoL and strategies to improve HRQoL was based in community-based participatory research and the social-ecological model of health. METHOD: A community advisory board (CAB) was established, and the need for an effort to promote HRQoL promotion among Black men was assessed and supported. A focus group protocol was developed in conjunction with the CAB and a group of barbers. Seven focus groups were conducted consisting of 56 Black men in the Southeastern United States. The mean age of participants was 45 years. Two reviewers coded each focus group. Reliability ranged from 71% to 76%. A thematic analysis was conducted, and the findings were confirmed with the CAB. RESULTS: Three themes emerged: (a) a holistic conceptualization of health that includes spiritual functioning among Black men; (b) a state of HRQoL among Black men predominately marked by mental health concerns, in addition to physical and social health concerns; and (c) multilevel determinants of HRQoL among Black men. This last theme consisted of three subthemes related to community-level, interpersonal, and intrapersonal determinants of HRQoL. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study can help inform the development of strategies to improve HRQoL and reduce health disparities among Black men. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Advances in Outpatient Therapies and Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Comprehensive Review for Men's Health.

Benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) affects a large number of men and can be treated with behavioral, medical, or surgical treatments. The newest addition to medical therapy is ß3-agonists for overactive lower urinary tract symptoms. Multiple new surgical treatments have become available in the past decade, including several clinic-based minimally invasive surgical techniques (eg, UroLift, Rezum, Optilume BPH), OR treatments (eg, Aquablation, single port robotics), and prostate artery embolization. The growth of options allows providers to better tailor BPH treatment to the specific disease factors and patient preferences.

Using the Nominal Group Technique to Inform Approaches for Enhancing Men's Utilization of Sexual and Reproductive Health Services.

Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services' underutilization by men remains a global public health challenge. SRH problems constitute major health challenges in that they form almost one-seventh of the disease burden and contribute to higher and earlier morbidity among men. We, therefore, invited subject matter experts to collaborate in co-creating intervention strategies to enhance men's utilization of SRH services. We employed the nominal group technique (NGT) for data collection. The NGT is a structured method that involves gathering a group of people to discuss a problem for the purpose of achieving a group consensus and planning actions for the selected problem. The participants who were purposively sampled included researchers, scientists, academics, clinicians, and policymakers. The participants suggested the need to improve men's knowledge, provide healthcare resources such as equipment, medical supplies, and SRH-trained male healthcare workers, deal with healthcare workers' negative attitudes through training and capacitation, and destigmatize socially constructed gender norms that deter men from seeking medical help. These important intervention strategies can be implemented to encourage men's use of SRH services. Men's current underutilization of SRH services requires the urgent implementation of evidence-based interventions. Collaborating with SRH experts in identifying appropriate intervention strategies can assist program managers and policymakers in designing SRH services tailored to men's sexual health needs.

Understanding Men's Lived Experience of Mental Distress Through Metaphors.

The use of tailored language, which involves a clinician's ability to adapt communication styles and employ accessible terms and concepts, has long been touted as key to engaging men with mental health services. Metaphors are one communication device that can provide men with ways through which to meaningfully express themselves and communicate their mental distress experiences. Using qualitative photovoice research, the current study examined how New Zealand-based men (n = 21) communicatively constructed their meaning of mental distress through metaphors. Analysis of interview data was used to derive three metaphor groupings men consistently drew on to articulate their lived experiences: metaphors of emotions (darkness and weight), metaphors of survival (battle and entity), and metaphors of disembodiments (debility and entrapment). The findings highlight the power of metaphors as a tool for men in communicating their experiences of mental distress and are valuable for health professionals to contemplate across an array of contexts. The implications and importance of a metaphor-enriched perspective for engaging men in professional health care settings and services are discussed.

Gender health equity: The case for including men's health.

United States' federal policy and infrastructure fail to explicitly consider the health of men, particularly the poor health of marginalized men. This inattention to men's health hinders the nation's ability to improve population health, to achieve gender health equity, and to achieve health equity more broadly. Expanding efforts to consider gender in federal policy and infrastructure to include men, naming men as a population whose poor health warrants policy attention, creating offices of men's health in federal agencies, and utilizing an intersectional lens to develop and analyze policies that affect health would likely yield critical improvements in population health and health equity in the United States. Using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, I illustrate the persistence of sex differences in mortality and leading causes of death, and how these patterns mask gender gaps in health that are driven largely by marginalized men. Given the common practice of presenting data by sex and race separately, it is difficult to recognize when the health of specific groups of men warrants attention. I utilize the case of Black men to illustrate the importance of an intersectional approach, and why men's health is critical to achieving gender and racial equity in health. While a gender mainstreaming approach has enhanced the nation's ability to consider and address the health of women and girls, it has not expanded to be inclusive of boys and men. Consequently, I argue that if our goal is to achieve health equity, it is critical to employ an intersectional approach that simultaneously considers the full range of factors that influence individual and population health and well-being. An intersectional approach would facilitate efforts to simultaneously explore strategies to achieve racial, ethnic, and gender health equity, which are driven by structural determinants beyond sex and gender related factors.

Interplay between male gonadal function and overall male health.

The process-of-male reproduction is intricate, and various medical conditions-have the potential to disrupt spermatogenesis. Moreover, infertility in males can serve as an indicator of-potential future health issue. Numerous conditions with systemic implications have been identified, encompassing genetic factors (such as Klinefelter Syndrome), obesity, psychological stress, environmental factors, and others. Consequently, infertility assessment-presents an opportunity for comprehensive health counseling, extending-beyond discussions about reproductive goals. Furthermore, male infertility has been suggested as a harbinger of future health problems, as poor semen quality and a diagnosis of-male infertility are associated with an increased risk of hypogonadism, cardiometabolic disorders, cancer, and even mortality. This review explores the existing-literature on the relationship between systemic illnesses and male fertility, impacting both clinical-outcomes and semen parameters. The majority of the literature analyzed, which compared gonadal function with genetic, chronic, infectious or tumoral diseases, confirm the association between overall male health and infertility.

(Re)construção de identidade do ethos masculino e masculinidades na atenção domiciliar em saúde do homem / Identity (re)construction of the male ethos and masculinities in men's health home care / (Re)construcción de la identidad del ethos masculino y de las masculinidades en el cuidado domiciliario en salud del hombre

RESUMOObjetivo: compreender as masculinidades de homens em cuidados domiciliares a partir da construção do ethos masculino. Método: pesquisa qualitativa tendo o referencial teórico-metodológico de Norman Fairclough para análise crítica de discurso e a concepção teórica de masculinidades segundo Raewyn Connell. Entrevistou-se 58 usuários entre pacientes e cuidadores de um serviço público de atenção domiciliar. Resultados: identificou-se duas centralidades discursivas: masculinidade hegemônica e suas ideologias e o novo ethos masculino: a admissão da dependência. Percebeu-se a presença de uma masculinidade não hegemônica entre os homens em cuidados domiciliares, cujas circunstâncias específicas do domicílio favorecem mudanças histórico-sociais e culturais, fazendo emergir novos conceitos, sentidos e experiências. Conclusão: o ethos masculino dos homens cuidados no domicílio é marcado pela condição de diferenciação, alinha-se a uma masculinidade subordinada, embora se referenciem em ideologias dominantes. Esse novo ethos masculino permite, em outras análises, reconhecer as necessidades e o comportamento de homens em atenção domiciliar.

ABSTRACTObjective: to understand the masculinities of men in home care based on male ethosconstruction. Method: qualitative research aligned with Raewyn Connell's conception of masculinities and critical discourse analysis based on Norman Fairclough's theoretical-methodological framework. A total of 58 users were interviewed between patients and caregivers of a home care public service. Results: two discursive centralities were identified: hegemonic masculinity and its ideologies; and the new male ethos: the admission of dependency. The presence of a non-hegemonic masculinity is perceived among the men in home care, whose particular home experiences favor historical, social, and cultural changes, giving rise to new concepts, meanings, and experiences. Conclusion: the masculine ethosof men cared for at home is marked by the condition of differentiation, it is aligned with a subordinate masculinity, although it is based on dominant ideologies. This new masculine ethos allows, in other analyses, to recognize the needs and the behavior of men in home care.

RESUMENObjetivo: comprender las masculinidades de los hombres en la atención a domicilio a partir de la construcción del ethos masculino. Método: investigación cualitativa basada en el marco teórico-metodológico de Norman Fairclough para realizar el análisis del discurso y en el concepto de masculinidades de Raewyn Connell. Se realizaron entrevistas a 58 usuarios entre pacientes y cuidadores de un servicio público de atención domiciliaria. Resultados: se identificaron dos centralidades discursivas: la masculinidad hegemónica y sus ideologías; y el Nuevo ethos masculino: la admisión de la dependencia. Se constató que hay una masculinidad no hegemónica entre hombres en atención domiciliaria cuyas circunstancias específicas del hogar proporcionan cambios históricos, sociales y culturales, lo que permite surgir nuevos conceptos, significados y vivencias. Conclusión: el ethos masculino de los hombres en atención a domicilio está marcado por la condición de diferenciación y se alinea con una masculinidad subordinada, aunque se asiente en ideologías dominantes. Este nuevo ethos masculino permite reconocer, en análisis futuras, las necesidades y el comportamiento de los hombres en atención a domicilio

Men's mental health - Conceptualization, effects, and coping.

Men are predisposed to suffer with unaddressed depression and anxiety. This study sought to empower men, in three urban, racially/ethnically diverse, underserved, and impoverished neighborhoods, for mental health self-care by capturing their perceptions of depression and anxiety. Using community-based participatory research, in the context of long-term partnerships between a department of nursing and these neighborhoods, the researchers recruited 50 men aged 23-83 years. Data were collected via six homogeneous, zoom-based focus groups composed of Black, Hispanic, and White men, respectively. The men identified themes pertaining to the conceptualization and devastating effects of depression and anxiety as well as coping strategies employed to mitigate the symptoms.

Women are lean and men are also lean: nutrition titles in women's and men's health magazines.

BACKGROUND: Whether nutrition messages in popular health magazines differ by country or season has seldom been studied. We assessed the nutrition topics featured in the headlines of Men's Health® (MH) and Women's Health® (WH) magazines from different countries. METHODS: We sampled MH and WH magazines from Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the UK and the USA. Nutrition-related headlines were categorized as weight loss, weight gain, micronutrients and other. RESULTS: The most frequent topics were "Other" (44%) and "weight loss" (41%), while "micronutrients" represented 4%. Topics related to weight gain were more frequent in MH (19% vs. 2% in WH), while no difference was found for weight loss (44% vs. 37% in WH). On multivariable analysis, weight gain had a higher likelihood of being present in MH than in WH, Odds ratio and (95% confidence interval): 8.3 (2.2-90.9), p = 0.002, while no association was found for weight loss: OR 1.1 (0.6-2.0), p = 0.80. Weight loss was absent from the US WH and present in two thirds of the Portuguese WH; in MH, weight gain was evenly distributed between countries. Prevalence of the weight loss topic was lower in March (15% vs. 54% in January, p < 0.01 by logistic regression) and to a lesser degree in June (35%) and July (35%). No seasonality was found for the "weight gain" topic. CONCLUSION: In WH and MH magazines, nutrition topics vary according to gender, country, and season. Weight gain remains a male topic, while weight loss is equally prevalent in both women's and men's magazines.

Men's peer support for mental health challenges: future directions for research and practice.

Peer support has a long history of helping people navigate mental health challenges and is increasingly utilized within men's mental health promotion initiatives. Despite considerable research conceptualizing and evaluating peer support in various contexts, little is known about the gendered dimensions of men's peer support and mutual help for mental health. This article provides an empirically informed commentary on men's peer support and informal help-seeking preferences to make recommendations for future directions for research and practice. Research examining men's peer support is emergent and the available evidence suggests that there is potential to conceptually align with many men's values and preferences for mental health help-seeking. Peer support offers a non-clinical, strength-based adjunct to professional support that may aid men in navigating a range of mental health challenges. Consideration must be given to the influence of gender socialization and men's diverse experiences with developing and maintaining peer relationships. It should not be assumed that authentic and supportive relationships will naturally form when men congregate together. As a growing number of interventions and programs emerge targeted at boys and men, there are important opportunities to leverage these health promotion efforts to encourage and coach men to engage in mutual help. Opportunities for research and practice are discussed to better understand and harness the health-promoting potential of peer support for men's mental health.