This document summarizes research from the University of Central Florida (UCF) on men's health behaviors. It discusses findings from several studies on topics like men's attitudes towards cancer prevention and suicide in young men. The research found that men had less knowledge of cancer risks than women and were less likely to engage in prevention. For suicide, factors like unemployment, stress, and unwillingness to seek help were issues. The document concludes that gender, socioeconomic status, social support and involvement of community groups are key to effectively engaging men in health issues.

1. Research into Local
People’s Behaviours
UCF
Men and their • Experience of researching men’s
Health health;
• Findings of research on men’s
health;
All you need to know
to be healthier • Best practice in engaging men
around health issues.
By Professor Hugh McKenna, CBE
Ivan Idea Dean, Faculty of Life and Health Sciences
Hugh McKenna

2. Relevant Research Studies
 Attitudes to cancer and cancer
prevention: what do people aged
35-54 years really think
(UCF, 2007);
 The actual and potential role of
the GP and Primary Care Nurse in
the prevention of cancer
(UCF, 2011)
 learning from the experiences of
suicidal men aged 16-34 to inform
mental health care services
(PHARD, 2011);
 Users, carers and professionals’
experiences of treatment and care
for heroin dependency:
(PHARD, 2011)

3. Relevant Research Studies: Cancer
 Men were less informed about testicular
cancer than woman were about breast
cancer;
 Women could correctly identify more
cancer risks and warning signs than
men;
 There was a significant relationship
between attitudes to cancer prevention
and gender;
 Men are more likely to have negative
attitudes towards cancer prevention
than women:
• You can get cancer no matter what
preventative measure you take;
• Children should be the group
targeted with cancer prevention
information not adult men.

4. Relevant Research Studies: Suicide
 Unemployment and socioeconomic
deprivation were linked to suicide and self
harm;
 Young men had unrealistic and unhelpful
perceptions of being a man in the 21st
century leading to low self esteem and
stress;
 Young men did not want to show emotions
or appear unmanly or vulnerable;
 Young men did not want to seek help or
advice from:
• Their GP;
• Their teachers;
• Their priests/ministers;
 Help is not just a health matter but one for
education, sports clubs, the police, and
employers;
 Role of social networking as a support
mechanism.

5. Relevant Research Studies: Heroin
 Young men felt that there was not
enough support for them to give up
heroin;
 Prevention of Heroin addiction is not
just a NHS matter but one for
education, sports clubs, and
employers;
 Help was not forthcoming from
community leaders such as
•Teachers;
• Priests/ministers;
 GP treated them as third class
citizens and did not want them on
their register or in their waiting
rooms.
 GPs played no perceived role in
prevention of heroin addiction.

6. Relevant Research Studies: GPs
 Primary care practitioners have a major
role in health promotion and disease
prevention;
 GPs average only 8 minutes for each
consultation and that time is spent on
dealing with the presenting problem;
 The link between ill health and obesity,
diet and physical exercise is generally
only discussed in the context of the
patients’ presenting problems and in
relation to clinical complications that may
arise in the short-medium term. (The
potential to develop cancer in the longer
term is invariably outside the remit of the
consultation);
 Primary care nurses had more time for
health promotion and this was a role that
should be developed.

7. Men and Health-
Common Messages
 Male gender is a major issue;
 Poorer Socioeconomic status,
occupational status, and educational
attainment were key determinants in
negative attitudes to health promotion;
 Social support emerged as a consistently
important correlate;
 Family support and close loving and
concerned significant others are crucial;
 Having friends who participated regularly
in health promoting activities was
motivating;
 Men reluctant to seek advice from GPs;
 Primary care nurses have a key role;
 Health promotion is not just a matter for
the NHS;
 Social networking rather than leaflets and
advertisements.

8. Dietary advice – eat tape worms!