Eat to Live, Don't Live to Eat: Black Men, Masculinity, Faith and Food.

Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown

doi:10.3390/ijerph17124264

Letisha Engracia Cardoso Brown

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124264

Copy DOI

Abstract

Men often have poorer health outcomes than women. In the United States, Black men in particular tend to have worse health than not only Black women but other racial/ethnic groups of men. One factor that contributes to health is the role of masculinity. Previous research notes that men who cling to hegemonic notions of masculine identity tend to engage in negative health behaviors. However, hegemonic masculinity is not the realm in which Black men exist. Criminalized, surveilled, and subject to structural racism and racial discrimination, Black masculinities exist on their own spectrum separate from that of White men. One characteristic associated with Black masculinity is that of faith, and faith is a growing field of study with respect to health. This paper examines the relationship between Black masculinity as framed by faith in shaping the food and eating habits of Black men. Food and eating are central to health and well-being yet remain understudied with respect to Black masculinity through the lens of faith. This study offers a qualitative account of Black men’s experiences through the use of in-depth interview data. The key finding of this study is that fasting operates as a mechanism of health promotion for Black men. This paper utilizes the term Black men as an all-encompassing term of members of the African diaspora as opposed to African American in order to recognize the diversity of the participants in this study.

Highlights

Masculinity refers to the social construction of what it means to be a “man” in a particular social context [1,2]
One of the ways to examine the health of Black men in particular is through the lens of faith as well as conceptualizations of Black masculinity
Black masculinity is complex and multifaceted, yet as alternative to traditional forms of masculinity, aspects of Black masculinity lend themselves to the pursuit of health promoting attitudes and behaviors

Summary

Introduction

Masculinity refers to the social construction of what it means to be a “man” in a particular social context [1,2] Taken this way, masculinity is fluid and adaptable with respect to history, culture, and time [1,2]. Masculinity is fluid and adaptable with respect to history, culture, and time [1,2] In western societies such as the US, traditional, that is to say hegemonic masculinity, is associated with traits such as competitiveness, emotional detachment, dominance, autonomy, being physically tough, and heterosexuality [1,2,3,4,5]. Research contends that men face qualitatively different health disparities compared to women including higher mortality rates from 12 of the 15 leading causes of death, lower life spans overall, and a greater lifetime risk of developing certain cancers [5,6]

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion