The WHO’s “Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health 2016-2030” (GS-WCAH 2016-2030) is a comprehensive plan developed to improve the lives of women, children, and adolescents. Due to the success in the creation, ratification, and advocacy of the GS-WCAH 2016-2030, the clear health outcome disparities between males and females, and the general absence of male health from existing policies and sponsored programs, it is time now to develop a global strategy specifically drafted to improve the lives of men and boys. The following commentary provides three points for why a male-oriented program, like the GS-WCAH 2016-2030, should be created: (a) health outcomes disparities, (b) economic impact of poor male health, and (c) fathers’ role in promoting the health of women, children, and adolescents. Implications for how male health can be incorporated into future projects and priorities are provided, as well as advocacy for overall gender-inclusivity in regard to global public health efforts.

This study aimed to determine if the current health-related quality of life (HRQoL) tools created for survivors of testicular cancer are collecting the highest quality of data via a two-step methodological critique of both the seminal studies that produced a survivor of testicular cancer HRQoL tool (Phase 1) and the actual tool itself (Phase 2). It is the goal of this current article to present and discuss Phase 1. A systematic review aimed to assess the methodological quality of studies conducted to create instruments used to measure survivors of testicular cancer HRQoL. Five reviewers independently assessed each study with the 20-item Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies (AXIS). Inter-rater agreement and Fleiss’ kappa was also assessed to ensure consistency in reported scores. Assessments for the EORTC QLQ-TC 26 and CAYA-T studies were low (AXIS 52.5%; IRA 95%; κ = 0.779) and fair (AXIS 65%; IRA 80%; κ = 0.599), respectively. Critical appraisal of the scales included issues within the three core AXIS domains. Primary concerns related to sampling methodology and the lack of a qualitative component of their core conceptual development phase. Both reviewed seminal studies have significant methodological concerns that question the tools’ quality. Next steps include extensive appraisal of the psychometric properties of the EORTC QLQ TC-26 and the CAYA-T to complete the comprehensive review. Accurate and reliable data are necessary to understand survivor of testicular cancer HRQoL and assist in building the bridge of communication between health care professionals and survivors to help to improve patient outcomes.

Ongoing trends have revealed an inverse relationship between population growth and the number of practicing urologists in the U.S. per capita, which threatens urologic care accessibility. Furthermore, different regions in the United States may be more negatively impacted due to higher population growth rates. The state of Florida witnessed over a 10% higher growth rate compared with national figures between 2000 and 2015. Coupled with data suggesting that since the 1980s, the number of U.S. urologists per capita has been decreasing, the foreseeable future presents many challenges regarding health equity and accessibility. This secondary analysis aimed to investigate the implications of forecasted urologic care decline within a growing population and how it can contribute to adverse male health outcomes. National- and state-level data were collected to calculate a series of urologic care ratios as defined by the number of urologists compared with population sizes. Analyses revealed that national-level urologic care ratios and prostate cancer incidence rates have a significant positive relationship, lending to the conclusion that with fewer urologists, the number of cases identified will decrease. State-level forecasted models indicated that the urologic care ratio will decrease approximately 30% in Florida from 6.23 per 100,000 in 2010 to 4.39 per 100,000 by the year 2030. As growth in demand for urologic care will increase in the next decade, a dire public health scenario is potentially unfolding. Future implications of undiagnosed prostate cancer due to the lack of access will drive an increase in mortality rates as well as health equity concerns for men.

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Young adult and adolescent males (YAAM) experience disparate health outcomes as compared to their female counterparts despite wellness promotion services targeted specifically for this population. One major obstacle in bringing about a truer sense of public health is the lack of evidence-based research on health-related attitudes, perceptions, and lived experiences of YAAMs. This implies the presence of systemic issues in the way YAAM health and wellness information is gathered and input into health informatics systems, which therefore leads to a need to improve current strategies of service within this population. A novel methodological approach, known as structured phenomenology, was created to identify the underlying mechanisms contributing to the current health disparities experienced by males. It could also provide a thematic structure from which more accurate and reliable information, as well as communication systems for YAAMs, can be created. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted to learn about YAAM health behavior decisions and related outcomes. Participant responses produced eight core themes as it related to YAAM health and wellness. These extracted data create an opportunity to better inform prevention and intervention support services for this population in order to improve proximal, intermediate, and distal health outcomes through the creation of an original, validated assessment tool.