Manjulaa Narasimhan1, Carmen H Logie2, Kevin Moody3, Jonathan Hopkins4, Oswaldo Montoya5, Anita Hardon6. 1. Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme, World Health Organization, 20 Avenue Appia, 1211, Geneva 27, Switzerland. narasimhanm@who.int. 2. Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto, 246 Bloor Street W, Toronto, ON, M5S 1V4, Canada. 3. Consultant, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. 4. U-Turn, Cape Town, South Africa. 5. MenEngage Alliance Global Secretariat, 1875 Connecticut Avenue. Floor 10, Washington, D.C., 20009, United States of America. 6. Institute for Advanced Studies and Anthropology Department, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Self-care interventions are influencing people's access to, expectation and understanding of healthcare beyond formal health delivery systems. In doing so, self-care interventions could potentially improve health-seeking behaviours. While many men proactively engage in maintaining and promoting their health, the focus on men's health comes from the recognition, at least partially, that male socialization and social norms can induce men and boys to have a lower engagement in institutionalized public health entities and systems around their sexual and reproductive health and rights, that could impact negatively on themselves, their partners and children. MAIN TEXT: A research agenda could consider the ways that public health messaging and information on self care practices for sexual and reproductive health and rights could be tailored to reflect men's lived realities and experiences. Three examples of evidence-based self-care interventions related to sexual and reproductive health and rights that men can, and many do, engage in are briefly discussed: condom use, HIV self-testing and use of telemedicine and digital platforms for sexual health. We apply four core elements that contribute to health, including men's health (people-centred approaches, quality health systems, a safe and supportive enabling environment, and behaviour-change communication) to each intervention where further research can inform normative guidance. CONCLUSION: Engaging men and boys and facilitating their participation in self care can be an important policy intervention to advance global sexual and reproductive health and rights goals. The longstanding model of men neglecting or even sabotaging their wellbeing needs to be replaced by healthier lifestyles, which requires understanding how factors related to social support, social norms, power, academic performance or employability conditions, among others, influence men's engagement with health services and with their own self care practices.
BACKGROUND: Self-care interventions are influencing people's access to, expectation and understanding of healthcare beyond formal health delivery systems. In doing so, self-care interventions could potentially improve health-seeking behaviours. While many men proactively engage in maintaining and promoting their health, the focus on men's health comes from the recognition, at least partially, that male socialization and social norms can induce men and boys to have a lower engagement in institutionalized public health entities and systems around their sexual and reproductive health and rights, that could impact negatively on themselves, their partners and children. MAIN TEXT: A research agenda could consider the ways that public health messaging and information on self care practices for sexual and reproductive health and rights could be tailored to reflect men's lived realities and experiences. Three examples of evidence-based self-care interventions related to sexual and reproductive health and rights that men can, and many do, engage in are briefly discussed: condom use, HIV self-testing and use of telemedicine and digital platforms for sexual health. We apply four core elements that contribute to health, including men's health (people-centred approaches, quality health systems, a safe and supportive enabling environment, and behaviour-change communication) to each intervention where further research can inform normative guidance. CONCLUSION: Engaging men and boys and facilitating their participation in self care can be an important policy intervention to advance global sexual and reproductive health and rights goals. The longstanding model of men neglecting or even sabotaging their wellbeing needs to be replaced by healthier lifestyles, which requires understanding how factors related to social support, social norms, power, academic performance or employability conditions, among others, influence men's engagement with health services and with their own self care practices.
Entities:
Keywords:
Health behaviours; Health practices; Men; Self care; Sexual and reproductive health
Authors: Catherine R H Aicken; Claudia S Estcourt; Anne M Johnson; Pam Sonnenberg; Kaye Wellings; Catherine H Mercer Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2016-01-20 Impact factor: 5.428