Common Men Research Articles

A cross sectional study to assess the level of awareness of dental surgeons about national oral health program in a city of central India

: In 1999, the Ministry of Health Family Welfare, government of India, launched the first National Oral Health Care Programme on a pilot basis. This cross-sectional study was contemplated in Indore district to assess the awareness of dental surgeons regarding their awareness about the basic tenets of the National Oral Health program. Type of the Study- Cross sectional studyDuration of the Study- 6 months- January-June 2024Site of the Study- Indore districtSample Size- 100Sampling technique- Purposive SamplingStudy method- 1. First of all, the list of dental surgeons operating in Indore district was obtained.2. 100 dental surgeons were randomly identified from this list.3. Their written informed consent was obtained to be a part of the study.4. Pre-designed semi structured questionnaire was prepared and fed in google forms and shared with these identified dental surgeons5. Data collected was entered in MS excel/spreadsheets6. Data was analysed using appropriate statistical software. : 69% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India. 47% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- Manpower support [Dentist, Dental Hygienist, Dental Assistant]. 41% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- Equipment including Dental Chair, X-ray units, autoclaves etc. 41% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- Consumables for dental procedures. 37% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- IEC/ BCC activities like Posters, TV, Radio Spots, Training Modules etc. 33% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- national and regional nodal officers training programs. 33% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- Preparing State/District level Trainers by conducting national and regional workshops: The present study clearly indicates that there is need to increase the awareness of National Oral Health Programme not only among dental surgeons but also common men. Government should take active interventions to increase the awareness of NOHP so that more and more people can utilize its facilities.

Aftermaths of COVID-19 Lockdown on Socioeconomic and Psychological Nexus of Urban Population: A Case in Hyderabad, Pakistan

The COVID-19 pandemic started in the last week of December, 2019. An emergency was declared throughout the globe as the virus spread over 208 counties within a short amount of time. This pandemic had significant negative impacts on common men living in densely populated countries, including Pakistan. Hence, this research aimed to record people’s perception of the 7th largest settlement in Pakistan, namely Hyderabad. This study mainly focused on socioeconomic and psychological parameters. The close-ended questionnaire was designed concerning the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21). The DASS-21 is an optimal tool for recording the emotional values of depression, anxiety, and stress. A total of 400 questionnaires were filled out; they used a 5-point Likert scale. Significant socioeconomic issues were noted, such as lower household income, economic recession, job cuts, inaccessible Internet services during online teaching or working from home, etc. The primary challenges in the lockdown situation were Internet access (4.06) and anxiety (4.86) in the female population. There were higher levels of depression (N = 200), anxiety (N = 341), and stress (N = 125) in the local inhabitants. Other notable problems were illuminated, such as restrictions on social gatherings, electricity load shedding, and lower incomes. This study concludes that the degree of psychological problems varied according to the typology of gender. Based on study findings, this study recommends the prompt execution of policies considering possible future pandemics to restrain anxiety and depression in the female population. The local government is also advised to revitalize infrastructure to provide uninterrupted power supplies and Internet facilities. The income-generating channels should be open for lower-income households concerning future lockdowns.

Recovering the Written Traces of Hernando de Soto’s Voyage to La Florida

In 1539, Hernando de Soto arrived in Cuba expecting to colonize the North American territory for Spain within four years. Even though he did not leave a personal account, several survivors of this expedition wrote about this journey. In addition to the official accounts of Rodrigo Rangel and Luis Hernández de Biedma, there were other anonymous accounts told and penned by common men, which were later used in canonical works. This is the case of Inca Garcilaso de la Vega’s The Florida of the Inca (1605), which is based on a story that a Spanish cavalier related to the author, also corroborated by forgotten short accounts written by Juan Coles and Alonso de Carmona. Likewise, a Portuguese man, who accompanied de Soto, wrote Relaçam Verdadeira, published in 1557 in Portugal. Relaçam was translated into English in 1609 by the English writer Richard Hakluyt (1553-1616) under the title Virginia Richly Valued. This essay focuses on these collective testimonies, oral and written, that kept and shaped the story of failure in La Florida. I analyze how these intellectuals not only appropriated the previously dismissed memories of these common men, but also adapted them according to their imperialistic purposes.

Writing, Memory and Subalternity in the Early Modern World

In this introduction to the JEMS collective volume Subaltern Writing and Popular Memory in the Early Modern World, the editors provide a historiographical and theoretical survey on the history of subaltern forms of literacy, as well as of popular modes of remembrance, mainly focused in the early modern period. While providing examples of the ways in which literacy has been carefully policed in different societies, giving way to structures of exclusion, it also points to the more or less fluid relation that common men and women from different backgrounds established with writing, occasionally using it to record personal memory and participate in the collective shaping of the past. The essay tackles the difficulty of recovering the written traces of common men and women, while surveying the ways in which this archive of subaltern writing and memory has been creatively constructed by subsequent scholarly interventions from very different disciplines, including anthropology, paleography, sociology, epigraphy, gender and sexuality studies, and social and cultural history.

“‘I have to want you to act this way’”: a political reading of sexual violence, men’s Rights Activism, and the Pick-up Artist

ABSTRACT Since the emergence of allegations of sexual violence against media producers, directors, writers, and actors in 2017, viewers have questioned how their alleged abuse impacts viewership of their creative works. These questions hold even more significance in cases where the creative work represents behaviors and power dynamics that are reported to have supported these creators’ abuse. I analyze James Toback’s film, The Pick-Up Artist, next to allegations of his sexual misconduct and common Men’s Rights Activist strategies to contend that Toback’s film and other media texts implicated in similar distasteful resemblances ought to be read for their political force and subsequent implications, due to the work that these texts do to normalize violence and maintain the status quo. Through my analysis, I argue that, due to the resemblances between Toback’s film, his alleged abusive behavior, and PUA teachings, the film ought to be read as political. Ultimately, I conclude that a reading of Toback’s film as political demonstrates how mediated romantic storylines can reflect, inform, and, upon examination, disrupt manifestations of violence in daily life, as well as the potential for examining resemblances that emerge in media texts to reveal new analytical possibilities.

Individualism in Europe: A Comparison to Asia

The motto of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity was originated in Europe in the 18th century. A desire to be on one’s own and go freely has been spread worldwide. Every individual is valued more than ever, each individual is an independent spirit who could express the creativity of their’s own volition. It can be said that individualism is one of the core values that lead to the development of Europe as it is today. It is worth studying how “individualism” develops in Europe and compare it to Asia where “individualism” promotes its own values besides collectivism while being influenced by the West. This will involve a specific model that blends the European idea of individual autonomy with Asian collectivism. Europeans take part in the decision-making process through the family so as to create a close relationship between the individual and the family; the Asian culture has to be self-sufficient. Implementing this concept would reduce the chances of exploiting of common men in general and fragile groups in particular.

Assessment of the Ambient Air Quality of Sangli City, Maharashtra, vis-à-vis National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS)

Assessment of ambient air quality is important to formulate short-term and long-term plans to mitigate air pollution. This study attempts to present an ambient air quality assessment for Sangli City, located at 16.85° N, and 74.58° E. The assessment is done through ambient air quality data measured over three ambient air quality monitoring stations located in residential, commercial, and industrial zones of Sangli City. The data was collected from 2009 to 2017 under the National Air Quality Monitoring Program of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), India. The observed concentrations of gaseous pollutants, SO2 and NOx, and respirable particulate matter are compared with the concentration levels prescribed by the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in 2009. The concentration levels of particulate matter are quite on the higher side of the prescribed standards. The levels of NOx are almost approaching the prescribed values, whereas SO2 levels are well within the margin. We have also studied seasonal variations in the pollutants during the study period. In general, the air quality in Sangli City is quite undesirable during the mid-winter to mid-summer period. The study is useful for common men to increase awareness. It also forms baseline data and is useful for local and central government to design appropriate strategies to apply corrective measures, protect health, and promote environmental protection.

Excavation of Hushed Voices: A Spatio-temporal Imaginary Discourse on Socio-ethics in Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day

The concept of the ‘Great Chain of Being’, which influences the narrative style of the Renaissance Period of English Literature, depicts the hierarchical state of the old English Society. Suggestively, it’s a society driven by class/status and its attendant structures of inequality, discrimination and oppression. Hence, literary narratives of this period revolve round the travails of Kings and nobles, while subjecting the common men to the background. Subsequently, the esoteric state of the society, which was usually captured from the third person point of view, helps to question the place of truth in these literary narratives, as they could be liken to glossary reports from spectators, devoid of participant’ direct contribution(s). However, with the writing(s) of Kazuo Ishiguro, an Asian-British, there comes a direct feel of participant’s contribution in his narratives as he deconstructs the style of the old traditional English narratives in his novel, The Remains of the Day. Consequently, with the application of the first-person point of view in his novel, readers could explore the socio-cultural dispositions of every society and individual within the purview of ethics, politics and development. In furtherance, this study gives a historicized spatial alternate or temporal reality of an Old English society system - a system anchored on classism, professionalism and superficial orderliness devoid of ‘social interactions’ and freedom, especially for the workmen or common men. The emergence of an American Lord after the death of the English Lord gives a contrastive alternative pattern against that of the English. Hence, this alternate reflection of the American presence further deconstructs every long-held tradition in Darlington’s Hall as the author reveals that perceptions are influenced by cultural ingenuity which borders on the socio-cultural/socio-political formation of every society and individuals.

Exploring Preventive Health Care Utilization Among Black/African American Men.

Black/African American (BAA) men have the lowest life expectancy among other major demographic groups in the United States, with BAA male mortality rates 40% higher than their White male counterparts. Despite known benefits of preventive health care utilization, BAA men are 43% more likely to use the emergency department for usual care. Many intersecting factors like medical mistrust and religion have been identified as common barriers BAA men face in health care utilization with few studies exploring factors that impact their current preventive health care utilization. In addition, BAA men's perceptions of health and ability to identify or seek help have always been disproportionately lower than other racial groups despite higher rates of preventable diseases. Using the tenets of the Andersen Healthcare Utilization Model, this cross-sectional study of 176 BAA men explores BAA men's current preventive health care practices while examining the intersection of predisposing, enabling, and need factors on BAA men's preventive health care utilization. While it is well known that higher income levels and higher education positively influence health care utilization, the intersection of religious affiliation and higher levels of medical mistrust was associated with BAA men's decreased engagement with health care as religion posed as a buffer to health care utilization. This study demonstrated that BAA men's perception of health differed by sexual orientation, educational status, and income. However, across all groups the participants' perspective of their health was not in alignment with their current health outcomes. Future studies should evaluate the impact of masculine norms as potential enabling factors on BAA men's preventive health care utilization.

STEAP4 modulates cell proliferation and oxidative stress in benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a quite common chronic disease plagued elderly men and its etiology remains unclear. It was reported that the six-transmembrane epithelial antigen of prostate 4 (STEAP4) could modulate cell proliferation/apoptosis ratio and oxidative stress in cancers. Our current study aimed to explore the expression, biological function, and underlying mechanism of STEAP4 in BPH progress. Human prostate tissues and cell lines were utilized. qRT-PCR and immunofluorescence staining were employed. STEAP4 knockdown (STEAP4-KD) or STEAP4 overexpression (STEAP4-OE) cell models were established. Cell proliferation, cell cycle, apoptosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were determined by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay and flow cytometry. Apoptosis-related proteins and antioxidant enzymes were identified by Western Blot. In addition, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process and fibrosis biomarker (collagen I and α-SMA) were analyzed. It was indicated that STEAP4 was mainly located in the prostate epithelium and upregulated in BPH tissues. STEAP4 deficiency induced apoptosis and inhibited cell survival, but had no effect on the cell cycle, fibrosis, and EMT process. In addition, ROS changes were observed in the STEAP4-KD model. Consistently, overproduction of STEAP4 suppressed apoptosis and promoted cell proliferation, as well as facilitated ROS production. We further examined AKT / mTOR, p38MAPK / p-p38MAPK, and WNT/ β-Catenin signaling pathway and demonstrated that STEAP4 regulated the proliferation and apoptosis of prostate cells through AKT / mTOR signaling, rather than p38MAPK / p-p38MAPK and WNT/ β-Catenin pathways. Furthermore, activating AKT / mTOR signaling with SC79 significantly reversed apoptosis triggered by STEAP4 deficiency, whereas suppressing AKT / mTOR signaling with MK2206 reduced the increase of cell viability triggered by STEAP4 overproduction. Our original data demonstrated that STEAP4 is crucial in the onset and progression of prostate hyperplasia and may become a new target for the treatment of BPH.

Analysis of the Priority Elements on Common Society According to the Thoughts of Yusuf Al-Qaradawi

This article discusses the priority elements for common society in the aspects of knowledge and thought according to Yusuf al-Qaradawi’s views in his book “Fi Fiqh al-’Awlawiyyah wa Dirasah Jadidah fi ḍau’i al-Qur’an wa Sunnah”. As Al-Qaradawi points out, knowledge is not only the privilege of scholars and intellectuals, but it is also an obligation of every individual, including the common men. This study utilizes a qualitative research method where the works of al-Qaradawi are analyzed in a descriptive approach. Important aspects stressed are the preference of action to knowledge, knowledge to memory, the purpose of the Shariah to its texts, and ijtihad to taqleed (imitation). The study finds that each of these priority elements not only elevates an individual’s status in the sight of God but also nurtures a wiser, more critical, and competitive society in various aspects of life. This article provides guidance for the common society on how to understand and apply the prioritization of knowledge in daily life in line with Shariah demands and current realities.

Analyzing Optimal Marketing Channels in the Vegetable Supply Chain: Exploring Factors Influencing Marketing Channel Selection

Potato is amongst most important vegetables being used in kitchens of ordinary and common men. The income elasticity of demand of potato is relatively high as compared with other vegetables. In Pakistan, the traditional fruit and vegetable markets and considered to be the places of pure competition and farmers are linked to these markets via different marketing channels. This study delves into the analysis of optimal marketing channels within the vegetable supply chain, with a focus on understanding the factors that influence the selection of these channels. The study used cross-sectional primary data gathered from different supply chain actors, including 120 potato growers, 20 retailers, 20 consumers, 16 commission agents, and 16 wholesalers from two districts of Punjab, namely Okara and Chinote. This research employs a two-fold methodology. First, it involves the identification of the optimal marketing channel among five alternatives using a unique ranking technique methodology. Second, it employs regression analysis with binary endogenous treatment to discern the factors affecting the choice of marketing channels. The study sheds light on the intricacies of marketing channel decisions in the vegetable supply chain, offering insights into the preferences and considerations of stakeholders in the Okara and Chinote districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The findings of the study contribute not only to the understanding of optimal channel selection but also to the broader knowledge of the factors that influence these decisions. These insights are valuable for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers aiming to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing strategies within the agricultural sector, benefiting farming communities and the country as a whole.

The portraits of pre-independent india in sarojini naidu’s poems

Sarojini Naidu wrote poetry based on the beauty of simple joys and sorrows of life. One of the major themes of Sarojini Naidu’s poetry is the theme of people because she has succeeded in offering diverse images of the lives of Indian people and their various life backgrounds. Poet, feminist, nationalist and a powerful Orator, Sarojini Naidu (1879-1949) was born in in Hyderabad during the critical time of India’s Independence. She was called affectionately by the people with multiple titles like “The Nightingale of India”, “The wandering Singer”, “The Indian Joan of Arc”, The Indian Judith”, and “The Peace-Maker.” This paper analyses the ways in which how she exhibits the Indianness throughout her poems. Lyricism, symbolism, imagery, mysticism and native fervour are the remarkable assets of her poetry. The present paper focuses on the poems written by Sarojini Naidu which depict the lives of common men and women of India and their traditions. Naidu’s poetry is written in English and usually took the form of lyric poetry in the tradition of British Romanticism, which she was sometimes challenged to reconcile with her Indian nationalist politics. Finally, this paper further analyses her variety of poetic expressions such as Indian ethos, pathos, naturalness, gentleness and hunger.

THE ‘ORDINARY’ MEN: AN ANALYSIS OF MASCULINE REPRESENTATIONS IN CONTEMPORARY MALAYALAM CINEMA

Power packed performances of the male lead with the goons flying in the air has become a mundane visual treat for the Malayali audience. It is those heroes with the ‘guy next to door’ image that the audience feels acceptable and relatable. Malayalam film industry, popularly known as Mollywood, witnessed in the year 2022 the release of a couple of brilliant films notable for their scrupulous character portrayals. Such characters narrated and detailed the lives and ways of common men and thus were critically acclaimed post release, as noticeable entries in contemporary popular culture. Culture demands and conditions men and women to act out their gender roles in specific ways, which in turn, put pressures on them to live up to the expectations of the societal and cultural standards. The paper intends to focus on these aspects by analyzing three Malayalam films – Puzhu, Malayankunju, and Nna Thaan Case Kodu, all released in the year 2022. All these three movies have different plot settings and character sketches, but are unique in respect of the portrayal of male protagonists in them. According to Raewyn Connell’s categorization of masculinities, each of the male characters in the film identified belongs to hegemonic, marginalized, and sub-ordinate masculine categories. The main focus of the paper is to analyze the ideologies of masculine representations in the popular media and thereby to point out the cultural nuances in these portrayals.

RaagDarbari: An Analysis of the Post-Colonial Political Scenario in India

In the novel, RaagDrabari, Shrilal Shukla explores the little nuances and complexities of the largest democracy in the world, India. This creative work as a political satire explicitly presents the pathetic condition of India by metaphorically presenting a typical Indian village called Shivpalganj. It is a microcosm of Indian villages which are alienated and neglected in terms of modern material outlooks and developments. In India, politics and government are the two important factors that decide the fate of the country. As Gillian Wright points out in her introduction to the translated version of RaagDarbari, ‘politics and government’ are the two integral aspects of this novel. Therefore, the first part of this paper traces the evolution of these two strong pillars of India by focusing on the ideas presented in the novel. And the remaining part elucidates how much India changed since independence in terms of the socio-political and cultural perspectives envisioned by the visionary leaders and shared by common men.

Novel Men’s Health Curriculum Increases Fraternity Members’ Knowledge, Confidence, and Willingness to Seek Help for Health Concerns

To evaluate fraternity members' men's health knowledge, confidence in understanding, and the likelihood of seeking help for men's health concerns and to assess the impact of a novel men's health curriculum on each of these measures. Members of 6 undergraduate fraternities (n = 189) viewed a 45-minute presentation about men's health topics and completed before and after surveys. The presentation increased men's health knowledge, confidence in understanding men's health concerns and when/where to seek help, and the likelihood of seeking help for men's health concerns. Health knowledge did not correlate with confidence or likelihood of seeking help. Confidence positively correlated with the likelihood of seeking help before and after the presentation. A short presentation on common men's health topics increases health knowledge, confidence, and the likelihood of seeking help for these concerns. Increased confidence in understanding, rather than health knowledge, was associated with an increased willingness to seek help.

Unaffordable Education and Criminality as a Choice among Youth in Ondo State, Nigeria

Education shapes human, and it has the capacity to determine who gets what and what one becomes in life. Acquiring education in Nigeria is gradually becoming unaffordable; schools at all levels are becoming very expensive making it difficult for common men to send their children to schools. Youth in Ondo State, Nigeria, whose parents cannot afford either Secondary or University education now consider criminality as a choice. The study adopts a qualitative method – in-depth interviews were utilized in generating data from 38 interviewees. The qualitative data generated from the study were analyzed using manual content analysis. The study found that both Public/Private Secondary schools and Universities in Nigeria now charge exorbitant school fees, making the youth from low-economic family backgrounds either drop out of school and go into crime, be in school, or engage in criminal activities. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the government at both Federal and State levels should consider a reduction in school fees, as it is currently paid in public schools in Nigeria. Besides, scholarship schemes for indigent students in both secondary and tertiary institutions should be resuscitated.

(079) Early Results of Universal Cardiovascular Disease Risk Assessment in Young Men Presenting with ED and/or Low T

Abstract Introduction Erectile dysfunction (ED) and low testosterone (low T) are common men’s health issues, affecting ~40 million and 4 million men in the United States, respectively. 1 Typical risk factors for early ED include cardiometabolic risk factors that may be associated with increased risk for premature CVD. Low T levels have also been strongly implicated as an independent risk factor for CVD development and progression. 2 Whether early screening for atherosclerotic disease in younger men with such conditions may identify potentially high-risk individuals for initiation of preventive therapies is unknown. Objective To assess the presence and burden of early atherosclerotic disease in young men with ED and/or low testosterone levels Methods Our study is a prospective, longitudinal assessment of cardiovascular risk for all men aged 18-55 presenting to a high-volume men’s health center with ED and/or hypogonadal complaints and serum TT <350ng/dL. Exclusion criteria included prior TRT, prior CVD history, or a history of having seen a cardiologist at any point in the past. All men meeting these basic criteria were automatically referred to a preventative cardiologist for cardiac risk assessment. Prior to cardiology evaluation, all patients had assessment of IIEF and AUA questionnaire scores, STOPBANG scores for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk prediction, and serum hormone profile (TT, E2, PRL, FSH, LH). CVD risk assessment included a serum lipid profile, EKG, Coronary Artery Calcium (CAC) score as assessed by CT, carotid Doppler US, and other studies (e.g. echocardiography) as indicated. Results Of the first 35 men sent for CVD risk assessment, 15 (43%) patients with a mean age of 40 years (range 23-50) had completed all aspects of CVD risk assessment. Overall, 7/15 (40%) of these young men had a CAC >0, including 2/7 (28%) of men 40 years. Three of the men >40 years (38%) had very high CAC (87 to 138). Carotid US showed clinically significant plaque in 2/15 of the men (13%). Conclusions Our initial data suggest that undiagnosed early atherosclerotic disease is not uncommon in young men with ED and/or low T. Typically men 40 years may have a non-zero CAC slightly more often, the finding of increased CVD risk in 63% of such men in our cohort is much higher than the general male population. The presence of severe atherosclerotic disease with high CAC scores in nearly 40% of our cohort aged 40-50 is even more worrisome. While these are early results, they seem to point to a noteworthy increased risk of CVD based on CAC scoring in young men presenting with ED/low T issues. As our prospective data collection continues, we anticipate that information gathered will strengthen the tie between premature atherosclerotic disease and young men with ED/low T. We hope that such data, generated with a simple, universal referral pathway, may help serve as a basis for future guideline-mandated cardiology evaluation in this potentially at-risk patient population. Disclosure No

(272) Novel Men’s Health Curriculum Increases Fraternity Members’ Knowledge, Confidence, and Willingness to Seek Help for Health Concerns

Abstract Introduction Limited data exist regarding knowledge of male-specific health concerns in young men. We developed a novel men’s health curriculum for undergraduate fraternity members and assessed its impact on knowledge related to, confidence in understanding, and likelihood of seeking help for common men’s health concerns. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate baseline men’s health knowledge, confidence in understanding men’s health concerns, and likelihood of seeking help for men’s health concerns in a cohort of undergraduate fraternity members and to assess the impact of a novel men’s health curriculum on each of these measures. Methods Members of six undergraduate fraternities viewed a 45-minute presentation about men’s health concerns related to sexual health, urinary function, hormones, and fertility. Interested subjects completed pre- and post-presentation surveys evaluating health knowledge, confidence in understanding men’s health concerns, and likelihood of seeking help for men’s health concerns. Results 189 fraternity members completed at least one of the surveys, of whom 105 completed both pre- and post-presentation surveys. Prior to the presentation, participants answered 57.7% of health knowledge questions correctly. This increased to 88.7% after the presentation (p<0.001). The number of participants who indicated that they are likely to seek help for men’s health concerns also increased from 43.6% to 79.8% (p<0.05) following the presentation. The percentage of participants likely to seek help for concerns about urine stream, erectile dysfunction, low testosterone, and sexually transmitted illness (STI) screening increased by 28.7%, 23.4%, 25.8%, and 12.9% respectively (p<0.05). No changes were observed in participants’ likelihood of seeking help for STI symptoms. Participants’ confidence in their understanding of men’s health concerns and knowing when/where to seek help significantly increased from 2.99 to 4.05 (5-point Likert scale). Confidence, but not health knowledge, correlated with participants’ likelihood of seeking help for health concerns. The strength of this relationship (correlation coefficient) increased from 0.45 to 0.796 (p<0.001) following the presentation. Conclusions Our pilot study suggests that a short presentation on common men’s health concerns increases health knowledge, confidence, and likelihood of seeking help for these concerns. Increased self-efficacy (i.e., increased confidence), rather than knowledge, was associated with increased willingness to seek help. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Boston Scientific, Endo Pharmaceuticals, FirmTech

(218) Emerging Data Regarding Disparities in Insurance Coverage of Male Sexual Health Conditions

Abstract Introduction Medical policy bulletins (also known as clinical policy bulletins) are insurance company guidelines for administering plan benefits. These documents purport to summarize current research, evidence-based guidelines, regulatory status, and physician opinion to determine whether insurers consider procedures and services to be medically necessary. These bulletins, along with member benefit plans, determine which services are covered. We have previously explored the lack of uniformity that exists for insurance payer coverage for penile prostheses. Here, we sought to expand this investigation to determine insurance coverage criteria for medical and surgical management of common men’s health conditions. Objective To determine covered benefits for sexual medicine conditions among the top United States healthcare insurers. Methods A list of common sexual medicine conditions was generated, including Peyronie’s disease, hypogonadism, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, incontinence, and buried penis. The most common treatment modalities for each condition were identified (see Table I). Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings were used to identify the top ten largest private insurers in the United States by member enrollment. This list was cross-referenced with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) 2020 Market Share Report (ref 1). The following list of the largest private US health insurers was thus developed: United, Anthem, Centene, Kaiser, Humana, CVS, Healthcare Service Corporation (HCSC), Cigna, Molina, and Independence Health Group (IBX). Kaiser and Centene were excluded due to lack of nationwide medical policy bulletins. We reviewed medical policy bulletins from the remaining 8 insurers to determine whether the specific treatments were identified as medically necessary, experimental/investigational, or cosmetic. Services and procedures deemed medically necessary were coded as “covered,” and those listed as investigational, or cosmetic were coded as “not covered.” If information about a specific condition or treatment modality was not found in a company’s policy bulletin, it was coded as “unknown.” Results In total, we recorded 143 data points, across the 8 insurance providers. Our review of medical policy bulletins yielded 60 (41.9%) instances where services were considered medically necessary and/or “covered”, 18 (12.6%) non-covered or investigational/cosmetic services, and 65 (45.5%) services with unknown coverage (Table I; covered=1, non-covered=0, unknown=2). Conclusions We encountered substantial difficulty in navigating and interpreting insurance coverage for various sexual medicine treatments and conditions based on review of policy bulletins from the topic insurance providers in the US. There was no readily identifiable coverage information for >45% of the data points that we collected, and instances of “unknown” coverage exceeded covered services across the collective of the largest private insurers. While 76.9% of conditions for which there was available data were covered, we are unable to draw generalizable conclusions for most conditions as there are significant deficits in the availability of policy information from online insurance sources. Further challenges in determining coverage include the additional layers of limitations in member plan benefits (i.e. plan exclusions), which could compound confusion for both physicians and patients. Disclosure Any of the authors act as a consultant, employee or shareholder of an industry for: Coloplast.