Journal of Men's Health

Health attitudes need to be explored and how men obtain health information identified in order to discover the barriers men face and ways of assisting men to make an informed choice about prostate cancer screening.

For this purpose focus group interviews were conducted with 67 men. Purposeful sampling techniques were used to recruit men with a previous diagnosis of prostate cancer and asymptomatic men. Focus groups were conducted by the same male facilitator and individual groups were homogeneous for the presence or absence of prostate cancer. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed according to the principles of thematic analysis.

Attitudes and information needs about prostate cancer screening were the same between asymptomatic men and those with a previous diagnosis of prostate cancer. Poor knowledge of health, limited access to health information, a poor patient-doctor relationship and psychosocial masculine attitudes contributed to a poor understanding of prostate cancer screening. Despite these barriers, and a poor understanding, all participants favoured prostate cancer screening. The Internet was identified as a resource that could be used to better inform men about health issues.

Psychosocial masculine attitudes negate the manner in which men interact with their doctor, use health services, access health information and contemplate their well being. The Internet may provide men with a vehicle to access health information in an environment that overcomes these identified barriers. Effectively using this technology may improve the promotion of men's reproductive health issues by health professionals.

Poor minority men experience significant disparities in health status in the United States. Disparities in health status are aggravated by decreased access to healthcare services. Denver Health Men's Health Initiative conducted quantitative and qualitative studies to learn about healthcare use and barriers to healthcare access experienced by underserved men of color in Denver.

A preliminary survey was conducted with a convenience sample of 243 poor men of color in community locations to learn about insurance status and health services use. Additionally, six focus groups were completed to discover attitudes and beliefs about healthcare access among underserved Hispanic and African-American men.

Financial barriers, particularly the lack of health insurance coverage, are the paramount concerns of underserved men of color. Many non-financial barriers to healthcare access were also identified, including racism, communication difficulties, fear, and beliefs about manhood.

The accessibility of appropriate, affordable healthcare is vital to improving health outcomes and reducing health disparities. The findings are useful in identifying and reducing barriers to healthcare access for underserved men of color and to inform policy makers about men's health issues.

Compliance with drugs for cardiovascular disease (CVD) is low at between 30-70 %, and lower for men than for women. The aim of the study was to shed light on the perceptions of the illness and its medication among men with CVD.

Ten men were interviewed in depth focusing on thoughts of the illness and its treatment. The interviews were analyzed qualitatively.

Seven themes appeared: illness as a mechanical defect; role model - the strong man; medication - a rite; a helper as a supportive ego; the vital drama of falling ill; all or nothing; the reticence of the body and the mind. The themes were included in a model illustrating integration or separation of the illness from the person.

Men seem to separate themselves from their illness and show difficulties in integrating disease into their lives. In the meeting with men with CVD our model and themes might contribute to understanding the complex problem of compliance.