Men's knowledge on body care: a cartographic study.

OBJECTIVE: to identify men's knowledge on body care. METHOD: it is a cartographic study with a qualitative approach. The research was conducted with 70 men in the city of Boa Vista, state of Roraima. The strategy for data production was called the meeting. Participants were encouraged to think about epistemic units, care and body, from models that were recorded and their meanings transcribed for content analysis according to Bardin. RESULTS: 282 units of decoded records such as body hygiene, sexual health and physical exercise were evidenced. In the decoding units, the conscious, functional male body is discussed, which serves for health professionals to think about caring approaches. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: cartographic forays allowed the male body to be recognized for its functionality, with structured knowledge on care in three dimensions: body hygiene, sexuality and sports practices.

Mapping Canadian Men's Recent and Intended Health Behavior Changes Through the Don't Change Much Electronic Health Program.

BACKGROUND: Although evaluation studies confirm the strong potential of men's electronic health (eHealth) programs, there have been calls to more fully understand acceptability, engagement, and behavior change to guide future work. Relatedly, mapping of behavior changes using health promotion theories including the transtheoretical model (or stages of change) has been recommended to build a translatable empirical base to advance design and evaluation considerations for men's eHealth programs. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to use a benchmark sample as a reference group to map the recent and intended health behavior changes in Canadian men who use the Don't Change Much (DCM) eHealth program. The hypothesis being tested was that increased exposure to DCM would be positively associated with men's recent and intended health behavior changes. METHODS: DCM users (n=863) were sampled for demographic data and self-reported recent and intended health behavior changes. Respondents also reported their usage (frequency and duration) for each of the 3 DCM components (web, newsletter, and social media) and were allocated to limited exposure (257/863, 29.8%), low exposure (431/863, 49.9%), and high exposure (175/863, 20.3%) subgroups. A benchmark sample (n=2000), comprising respondents who had not accessed DCM provided a reference group. Bivariate analysis of recent and intended health behavior changes and DCM exposure levels were used to compute the strength of association between the independent variables (exposure levels) and the 10 categorical dependent variables (recent and intended health behavior changes). Binary logistic regression models were computed for each of the 10 recent and intended health behavior changes. Linear regression was used to model the association between the number of recent and intended changes and the level of exposure to DCM. RESULTS: Compared with the benchmark reference group, DCM high-exposure respondents had significantly increased odds for 9 of the 10 health behavior changes, with the largest effect size observed for Changed diet or Improved eating habits (odds ratio [OR] 5.628, 95% CI 3.932-8.055). High-exposure respondents also had significantly increased odds for 9 intended health changes, with the largest effect sizes observed for Reduce stress level (OR 4.282, 95% CI 3.086-5.941). Moderate effect size (goodness of fit) was observed for increased total number of recent (F12,2850=25.52; P.001; adjusted R2=.093) and intended health behavior changes (F12,2850=36.30; P.001; adjusted R2=.129) among high-exposure respondents. CONCLUSIONS: DCM respondents contrasted the predominately precontemplative benchmark sample mapping across the contemplative, preparation, and action stages of the transtheoretical health behavior change model. Almost 10% of variation in the recent and 13% of variation in the intended health behavior changes can be explained by DCM exposure and demographic factors, indicating the acceptability of this men's eHealth resource.

Is Movember synonymous with moustaches or men's health? An examination of internet search activity for prostate and testicular cancer during the campaign.

BACKGROUND: The Movember campaign encourages men to grow a moustache during the month of November. The campaign's aims include promotion of prostate and testicular cancer awareness. AIMS: To examine the effectiveness of the Movember campaign at generating awareness of prostate and testicular cancers by examining Internet search activity. METHODS: Google Trends was used to review weekly Internet search activity from January 2004 to December 2015. We reviewed search activity for the search terms "prostate cancer", "testicular cancer", "Movember" and "moustache". The weeks in November from 2004 to 2015 were examined for changes in search activity for our chosen search terms, which could be attributed to the annual Movember campaign. Search activity was recorded weekly and scored from 0 to 100 with 100 representing peak search activity. RESULTS: Mean search activity for each term during the weeks of Movember campaign. However, throughout the 11 years assessed, only the term "moustache" was consistently statistically associated with increasing publicity for the Movember campaign. Cancer awareness was inconsistent. Testicular cancer shows a significant association in only one of the 11 years and prostate cancer in only 2 years. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the Movember campaign is consistently linked in the public consciousness with novelty facial hair and only weakly associated with an awareness of prostate and testicular cancers. Whilst the funding generated by the campaign should be commended, more could be done to link the campaign and moustaches to awareness of common male cancers.

Men's knowledge on body care: a cartographic study / Conocimento de los hombres sobre el cuidado corporal: un estudio cartográfico / Saberes dos homens sobre o cuidado com o corpo: um estudo cartográfico

ABSTRACT Objective: to identify men's knowledge on body care. Method: it is a cartographic study with a qualitative approach. The research was conducted with 70 men in the city of Boa Vista, state of Roraima. The strategy for data production was called the meeting. Participants were encouraged to think about epistemic units, care and body, from models that were recorded and their meanings transcribed for content analysis according to Bardin. Results: 282 units of decoded records such as body hygiene, sexual health and physical exercise were evidenced. In the decoding units, the conscious, functional male body is discussed, which serves for health professionals to think about caring approaches. Final considerations: cartographic forays allowed the male body to be recognized for its functionality, with structured knowledge on care in three dimensions: body hygiene, sexuality and sports practices.

RESUMEN Objetivo: identificar el conocimiento de los hombres sobre el cuidado del cuerpo. Método: este es un estudio cartográfico con un enfoque cualitativo. La encuesta se realizó con 70 hombres en ela cuidad de Boa Vista, Roraima. La estrategia para producir los datos se llamó ensamblado. Se alentó a los participantes a pensar en las unidades epistémicas, el cuidado y el cuerpo, a partir de modelos que se registraron y sus significados se transcribieron para el análisis de contenido según Bardin. Resultados: se evidenciaron 282 unidades de registros decodificados, como higiene corporal, salud sexual y ejercicio físico. En las unidades de decodificación, se discute el cuerpo masculino consciente y funcional, que sirve para que los profesionales de la salud piensen en enfoques de cuidado. Consideracion finales: las incursiones cartográficas permitieron reconocer el cuerpo masculino de funcionalidad, con conocimiento estructurado sobre el cuidado en tres dimensiones: higiene corporal, sexualidad y prácticas deportivas.

RESUMO Objetivo: identificar os saberes dos homens sobre o cuidado com o corpo. Método: trata-se de um estudo cartográfico com abordagem qualitativa. A pesquisa foi realizada com 70 homens no município de Boa Vista, Roraima. A estratégia para a produção dos dados foi denominada de assembleia. Os participantes foram estimulados a pensarem as unidades epistêmicas, cuidado e corpo, a partir de modelagens que foram gravadas e, seus significados, transcritos para a análise de conteúdo segundo Bardin. Resultados: foram evidenciadas 282 unidades de registros decodificadas como higiene corporal, saúde sexual e prática de exercícios físicos. Nas unidades de decodificação, é discutido o corpo masculino funcional, tomado de consciência, que serve para os profissionais de saúde pensar abordagens de cuidar. Considerações finais: as incursões cartográficas permitiram reconhecer o corpo masculino da funcionalidade, com saberes estruturados sobre o cuidado em três dimensões: higienização corporal, sexualidade e práticas esportivas.

Men's perceptions on educational intervention participation at workplace.

OBJECTIVE: todescribe the application of educational intervention performed with working men and identify, according to their perceptions, the main results obtained. METHODS: a descriptive and exploratory research, of qualitative nature, developed in a municipality of Southern Brazil, with 35 metallurgists. Data were collected between March and June 2014, through the recording of the operating groups and participant observation. Transcripts and field diaries were submitted to content analysis. RESULTS: participants intensified their interest in the search for health information, and some of them managed to implement changes in lifestyles, especially in relation to eating habits and sedentarism, and the support of the group was perceived as motivating for the changes. FINAL CONSIDERATIONS: health education activities that embrace meaningful themes for participants and are built by a cohesive group whose members support each other, favor lifestyle modification.

Men's perceptions on educational intervention participation at workplace / Percepciones de hombres sobre participación en intervención educativa en lugar de trabajo / Percepções de homens sobre participação em intervenção educativa em local de trabalho

ABSTRACT Objective: todescribe the application of educational intervention performed with working men and identify, according to their perceptions, the main results obtained. Methods: a descriptive and exploratory research, of qualitative nature, developed in a municipality of Southern Brazil, with 35 metallurgists. Data were collected between March and June 2014, through the recording of the operating groups and participant observation. Transcripts and field diaries were submitted to content analysis. Results: participants intensified their interest in the search for health information, and some of them managed to implement changes in lifestyles, especially in relation to eating habits and sedentarism, and the support of the group was perceived as motivating for the changes. Final considerations: health education activities that embrace meaningful themes for participants and are built by a cohesive group whose members support each other, favor lifestyle modification.

RESUMEN Objetivo: describir la aplicación de intervención educativa realizada junto a hombres trabajadores e identificar, según las percepciones de éstos, los principales resultados obtenidos. Métodos: investigación descriptiva y exploratoria, de naturaleza cualitativa, desarrollada em um município del sur de Brasil, con 35 metalúrgicos. Los datos fueron recolectados entre marzo y junio de 2014, por medio de La grabación de los grupos operativos y observación participante. Las transcripciones y los diarios de campo se sometieron alanálisis de contenido. Resultados: los participantes intensificaron el interés por La búsqueda de información sobre salud, y algunos de ellos lograron implementar câmbios em los estilos de vida, especialmente em relación a los hábitos alimentarios y sedentarismo, siendo que el apoyo del grupo fue percibido como motivador para los cambios. Consideraciones finales: actividades de educación em salud que abarcan temáticas significativas para los participantes y construidas por un grupo cohesivo, cuyos integrantes se apoyan mutuamente, favorecen la modificación del estilo de vida.

RESUMO Objetivo: descrever a aplicação de intervenção educativa realizada junto a homens trabalhadores e identificar, segundo as percepções destes, os principais resultados obtidos. Métodos: pesquisa descritiva e exploratória, de natureza qualitativa, desenvolvida em um município do Sul do Brasil, com 35 metalúrgicos. Dados foram coletados entre março e junho de 2014, por meio da gravação dos grupos operativos e observação participante. As transcrições e os diários de campo foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo. Resultados: os participantes intensificaram o interesse pela busca por informações sobre saúde, e alguns destes conseguiram implementar mudanças nos estilos de vida, especialmente em relação aos hábitos alimentares e sedentarismo, sendo que o apoio do grupo foi percebido como motivador para as mudanças. Considerações finais: atividades de educação em saúde que abarcam temáticas significativas para os participantes e construídas por um grupo coeso, cujos integrantes se apoiam mutuamente, favorecem a modificação do estilo de vida.

The Adult Well-Male Examination.

The adult well-male examination should provide evidence-based guidance toward the promotion of optimal health and well-being. The medical history should focus on tobacco and alcohol use, risk of human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted infections, and diet and exercise habits. The physical examination should include blood pressure screening, and height and weight measurements to calculate body mass index. Lipid screening is performed in men 40 to 75 years of age; there is insufficient evidence for screening younger men. One-time screening ultrasonography for detection of abdominal aortic aneurysm is recommended in men 65 to 75 years of age who have ever smoked. Screening for prostate cancer using prostate-specific antigen testing in men 55 to 69 years of age should be individualized using shared decision making. Screening for colorectal cancer should begin at 50 years of age for average-risk men and continue until at least 75 years of age. Screening options include fecal immunochemical testing, colonoscopy, or computed tomography colonography. Lung cancer screening using low-dose computed tomography is recommended in men 55 to 80 years of age who have at least a 30-pack-year smoking history and currently smoke or have quit within the past 15 years. Immunizations should be updated according to guidelines from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

A implementação da política nacional de atenção integral à saúde do homem: estado da arte / The implementation of the national policy of integral attention to the health of the man: state of art

Considera-se oportuna a continuidade das pesquisas sobre a PNAISH, sua implementação, desafios e conquistas, no intuito de favorecer uma visão e postura crítico reflexiva para que a política efetivamente aconteça em nosso país e o homem possa de maneira 83 qualificada e humanizada ter acesso à saúde, um direito conquistado. No decorrer desta revisão são observadas fragilidades na implementação da PNAISH, como a vontade da gestão em planejar e articular ações voltadas ao público masculino; sensibilizar os profissionais/serviços de saúde, promovendo educação em saúde, prevenção e cuidado integral; e ainda, chamar o próprio homem para o diálogo, com escuta ativa, percebendo suas reais necessidades. Essas demandas pautam-se na necessidade de contribuir para o crescimento e fortalecimento da PNAISH, inserindo o homem na pauta das discussões, considerando suas necessidades e peculiaridades

The State of Men's Health Services in the Veterans Health Administration.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: For many diseases that place a large burden on our health care system, men often have worse health outcomes than women. As the largest single provider of health care to men in the USA, the Veterans Health Administration (VA) has the potential to serve as leader in the delivery of improved men's health care to address these disparities. RECENT FINDINGS: The VA system has made recent strides in improving benefits for aspects of men's health that are traditionally poorly covered, such as treatment for male factor infertility. Despite this, review of Quality Enhancement Research Initiatives (QUERIs) within the VA system reveals few efforts to integrate disparate areas of care into a holistic men's health program. Policies to unify currently disparate aspects of men's health care will ensure that the VA remains a progressive model for other health care systems in the USA.

Differential Experience With Men's and Women's Health Care Visits Between Male and Female Family Medicine Residents.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Few studies have addressed whether male family medicine residents have more exposure to men's health issues than their female colleagues. Additionally, the association between panel demographics or continuity of care and the differential experience with gender-specific health care is unclear. METHODS: Between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2014, all residents in the family medicine program had their gender, the number of women's and men's health care visits, the total number of male and female visits, and the number of visits with patients assigned to their primary care panel recorded each academic year. To determine which visits pertained to men's or women's health care, Clinical Classification Software developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) was used to map ICD9 billing codes into a useful ontology. RESULTS: Female residents had significantly more women's health visits (229 versus 123) while male residents had significantly more men's health visits (89 versus 49) than colleagues of the opposite gender. There were no significant differences in continuity, the gender distribution of panels, nor the mean age of panels. However, female residents saw a greater percentage of female visits overall (60.6% versus 53.3%). CONCLUSIONS: Both male and female resident physicians acquire more experience with same-gender health care visits during training. Panel demographics and continuity do not explain the differential experience. Patient preferences and/or biased scheduling selection may explain why residents accumulate same-gender health care visits at twice the rate of opposite-gender health care visits.

Am I My Brother's Keeper? African American Men's Health Within the Context of Equity and Policy.

African American men's health has at times been regarded as irrelevant to the health and well-being of the communities where they are born, grow, live, work, and age. The uniqueness of being male and of African descent calls for a critical examination and deeper understanding of the psycho-socio-historical context in which African American men have lived. There is a critical need for scholarship that better contextualizes African American Male Theory and cultural humility in terms of public health. Furthermore, the focus of much of the social determinants of health and health equity policy literature has been on advocacy, but few researchers have examined why health-related public policies have not been adopted and implemented from a political and theoretical policy analysis perspective. The purpose of this article will be to examine African American men's health within the context of social determinants of health status, health behavior, and health inequalities-elucidating policy implications for system change and providing recommendations from the vantage point of health equity.

Developing Federal Clinical Care Recommendations for Men.

U.S. men experience substantial sexual and reproductive health needs across the life span. A significant barrier for providers in serving men in family planning, primary care, and sexually transmitted disease clinics has been the lack of standards for men's sexual and reproductive health care. The goal of this synthesis paper is to describe the development of clinical recommendations for the delivery of family planning services for men that were developed and published by CDC and the U.S. Office of Population Affairs. This paper is intended to describe the process used from 2011 to 2014 to develop the recommendations for the delivery of comprehensive reproductive healthcare services to men, and the rationale underpinning them.

Men's Health Index: a pragmatic approach to stratifying and optimizing men's health.

PURPOSE: The proposed Men's Health Index (MHI) aims to provide a practical and systematic framework for comprehensively assessing and stratifying older men with the intention of optimising their health and functional status. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A literature search was conducted using PubMed from 1980 to 2012. We specifically looked for instruments which: assess men's health, frailty and fitness; predict life expectancy, mortality and morbidities. The instruments were assessed by the researchers who then agreed on the tools to be included in the MHI. When there was disagreements, the researchers discussed and reached a consensus guided by the principle that the MHI could be used in the primary care setting targetting men aged 55-65 years. RESULTS: The instruments chosen include the Charlson's Combined Comorbidity-Age Index; the International Index of Erectile Function-5; the International Prostate Symptom Score; the Androgen Deficiency in Aging Male; the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe Frailty Instrument; the Sitting-Rising Test; the Senior Fitness Test; the Fitness Assessment Score; and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. A pilot test on eight men was carried out and showed that the men's health index is viable. CONCLUSIONS: The concept of assessing, stratifying, and optimizing men's health should be incorporated into routine health care, and this can be implemented by using the MHI. This index is particularly useful to primary care physicians who are in a strategic position to engage men at the peri-retirement age in a conversation about their life goals based on their current and predicted health status.

Reproductive parameters in young men living in Rochester, New York.

OBJECTIVE: To describe semen quality and reproductive hormone concentrations of young men living in Rochester, New York, and to compare these with published data from similar European and Japanese populations. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: University and college campuses in the Rochester, New York, area. PATIENT(S): Unselected young college students (n = 222). INTERVENTION(S): A physical examination, blood and semen samples, and completion of a brief questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Semen parameters and serum reproductive hormone levels. RESULT(S): Subjects were aged 18-22 years (median age, 19.5 years), predominantly Caucasian (81%), and nonsmokers (79%), with a mean (SD) body mass index of 25.5 (4.2) kg/m(2). Overall, median sperm concentration was 52 × 10(6)/mL (5th-95th percentiles: 7-181 × 10(6)/mL), median total sperm count was 158 × 10(6) (14-587 × 10(6)), and 23.1% and 15.8% of men had a sperm concentration below 20 × 10(6)/mL and 15 × 10(6)/mL, respectively. Few men had serum hormones falling outside clinically normal ranges. Median sperm concentrations and reproductive hormone levels were comparable to those seen in young men in Denmark, Finland, and Japan. CONCLUSION(S): Our study provides the first data in 70 years on semen quality and reproductive hormones in young men in the United States with unknown fertility. These data suggest that, overall, reproductive parameters in our study population of young college students from the northeastern United States are similar to those of young European and Japanese men.