Abstract
Males may experience several barriers to seeking health care, including unfamiliarity with procedures (e.g. colonoscopy), stigma and fear of a given health issue, perceived breach of masculinity (machismo), and fear of feeling vulnerable. Evidence suggests church-based interventions are an effective way to strengthen the connection between promotional message content and participant conceptualization of the risks and benefits of health screenings. However, there is a lack of evidence demonstrating such effectiveness in men’s health, and there is even more of a dearth of research focusing on Latinos. This discussion presents trends from a series of 4 community-based seminars during the 2010-2011 academic year conducted with Latino faith-based groups on men’s health issues. Approximately 70 Latino men attended a series of seminars on health and wellness as it pertains to cancer screening procedures offered after church services. A particular emphasis was placed on perceived masculinity (machismo) and gender roles within the social environment, and how they influence health screenings among men, particularly for colorectal, prostate, and testicular cancer. The seminar series were a first step in laying the foundations for future formal effectiveness testing of faith-based facilities serving as a conduit for health promotion efforts among Latinos. This paper presents lessons learned from this new approach in community health outreach efforts. We advocate that faith-based groups can be an efficient and effective way to raise awareness and promote wellness among Latino men.
Highlights
Compared to women, men, in general, have disproportionally higher rates of cancer incidence and mortality (Evans et al, 2005)
A professional translator was used, some of the message content may have been lost in the translation process. It is clear from Men's Health Initiative (MHI)’s Latino men’s health community lecture roundtable discussions that there is an overwhelming influence of machismo in Latino society and that sometimes it can negatively impact efforts to promote healthy lifestyles and adhering to health maintenance procedures
The discussions support the underlying theory of how machismo and the perceived role of Latino men in society can contribute to potential problems with the success of health promotion efforts and health maintenance behaviors among the population (Torres et al.; 2002Allen et al, 2008; Winterich et al, 2009)
Summary
Men, in general, have disproportionally higher rates of cancer incidence and mortality (Evans et al, 2005). One particular focus of MHI is a communitybased, grassroots effort to reach out to the local Latino population to promote men’s health issues and bring about a general discussion on healthy lifestyles and overall wellness, including cancer screening awareness and informed decision-making skill development. A plethora of previous research ranging from testicular self-examination (Rovito et al, 2011) to active participation in prostate health maintenance (Chan et al 2003b) suggests that a general lack of information or awareness of a given men’s health topic contributes to a lack of compliance to health behaviors and the success of health promotion interventions These discussion points surrounding knowledge and awareness provide more evidence that men are generally uninformed on health topics specific to them. The positive participant reactions to using faith-based groups as a venue for health promotion directly supports DeHaven et al (2004) and Daniels et al.’s (2007) research that demonstrate the positive value in using such a matrix for men’s health information exchange
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