Communicating With Men About Their Health

“We know that the longevity gap between men and women is much less biological than it is behavioral, but have we become so used to men dying earlier than women that it is just an accepted fact in our society?”

In a recent article, published in the Urology Times, Dr. Larry Goldenberg, Dr. Sean Skeldon, and Dr. Nick Black describe the use of morphological market research to identify six themes or modes that shape men’s health behaviors and how those modes can be ultimately used to improve men’s health.

“Behaviours are both challenging to influence and to change once they have been established. Traditional masculine characteristics—competitiveness, stoicism, denial, and self reliance—are all believed to contribute to men’s reluctance to seek help. Understanding how these characteristics intersect with sociocultural, psychological, and behavioral determinants of health could inform powerful strategies for engaging men with their health. What is needed is an understanding of the implicit or underlying motivations involved in men’s health decisions and behaviors. Essentially, discerning the optimal strategy to engage men about their health can be distilled down to a messaging, communication, or marketing question. The mechanism by which to effectively communicate with men has been unexplored and undefined.”

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