Male Gender Role Strain as a Barrier to African American Men’s Physical Activity

Griffith, Derek M.; Gunter, Kathryn E.; Allen, Julius C.

doi:10.1177/1090198110383660

Cited by 113 publications

(136 citation statements)

References 31 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

119

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…While masculinity is a generic construct that is thought to be equally relevant to men across the lifecourse, our sample of African American men were seeking to define manhood through characteristics, behaviors and ideals that are more consistent with being a responsible, middle-aged adult 6,17,38,55 . One of the major limitations of the ways that masculinity has been measured in men of color, and perhaps why there have been so few studies that have shown any relationship between masculinity and health for men of color, is because the measures of masculinity are not capturing ideas about manhood that are consistent with the roles, responsibilities and goals of middle-aged and older men 4,6,75,76 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A thematic analytic approach was used to identify, analyze and report themes and classifications that relate to the data; this type of analysis is considered appropriate when researchers are seeking to discover, organize and describe interpretations of the data 54 . 59 The systematic data organization and analysis process we used was similar to the methods used by Griffith, Allen, and colleagues 38,55-59 .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Men's lower life expectancy seems to result from gender differences in health behavior and other health outcomes such as infectious diseases (e.g., most often HIV/AIDS), cardiovascular disease, suicide, motor vehicle accidents and liver disease (most often secondary to alcohol dependence) 18 . The ways that men think about and internalize notions of masculinity, masculine social norms and gendered stressors and strains are often implicated in explanations of men's unhealthy behaviors (e.g., reckless driving, interpersonal violence, alcohol and drug abuse, risky sexual behavior, high-risk sports and leisure activities) 31,38-42 . Substance use and other health behaviors are often tools that men use to cope with the stressors that these ideals, norms and goals create in their lives 6 .…”

Section: What Does Health Mean To Men?mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

The Interdependence of African American Men's Definitions of Manhood and Health

Griffith

Brinkley‐Rubinstein

Bruce

et al. 2015

Family &Amp; Community Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper we explore themes that cut across how 24-77 year old African American men define manhood and health. Utilizing a thematic approach, we analyzed data from nine focus groups (N=73). We found that manhood and health were relational constructs that are interrelated in men's minds and experiences. Manhood and health were defined by the characteristics men embody, the behaviors men engage in and the goals and values men had to positively influence their families and communities. Thus, manhood and health are interdependent constructs and their interrelationship should be considered in efforts to promote African American men's health.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: What Does Health Mean To Men?mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Interdependence of African American Men's Definitions of Manhood and Health

Griffith

Brinkley‐Rubinstein

Bruce

et al. 2015

Family &Amp; Community Health

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…26 Some studies have explored how notions of manhood and masculinity relate to sexual health behaviors and HIV risk, 9,28 substance use and mental health, 13,29 and help-seeking 30 and chronic disease risk behaviors. 31,32 These studies have offered some important insights into minority men's health yet they tend to look broadly across masculinities instead of narrowing to consider the phase of life factors and concepts that are essential to linking manhood and minority men's health.…”

Section: What Is Manhood?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“I AM a Man”: Manhood, Minority Men’s Health and Health Equity

Griffith

2015

Ethn Dis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective: To consider how manhood is a key social determinant of minority men’s health.Design: This commentary explicates how manhood intersects with other determinants of health to shape minority men’s stress responses, health behaviors and health outcomes across the life course.Results: Manhood, which perpetually needs to be proven, is an aspirational identity that is defined by the intersection of age, race/ethnicity and other identities. Minority men seek to and successfully embody US-cultural and ethnic-specific aspects of manhood in their daily lives by engaging in behaviors that constantly reaffirm their gender identity through a complex internal and social calculus that varies by intra-personal characteristics and context. Manhood and health are relational constructs that highlight how the salience of masculinities are shaped by perceived and actual social norms and expectations. A life course perspective adds a framework for considering how some gendered beliefs, goals and behaviors change over time while others remain static. Three life course frameworks highlight different mechanisms through which minority men’s life experiences and physiological and behavioral responses to gendered social norms, beliefs and expectations become embodied as premature mortality and other health outcomes over the life course.Conclusion: Manhood represents an important lens to understand how minority men’s identities, goals and priorities affect their health, yet the role of manhood in minority men’s health is understudied and underdeveloped. To achieve health equity, it is critical to consider how manhood shapes minority men’s lives and health across the life course, and to address how manhood affects gendered and non-gendered mechanisms and pathways that explain minority men’s health over time. Ethn Dis. 2015;25(3):287-293.

show abstract

“…African American men over age 45 are less likely than their White counterparts to participate in leisure time physical activity (25% vs. 36%) or walking for exercise (43% vs. 52%; Brownson, Boehmer, & Luke, 2005). In their 30s, African American men’s rates of physical activity tend to decline in part due to increasing responsibilities to fulfill social and cultural roles associated with work, family, and the community (Griffith, Gunter, & Allen, 2011). The risk for developing chronic diseases increases with age, yet African American men’s participation in physical activity typically decreases as they get older (Ahmed, 2005).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Men on the Move

2013

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Despite the important contribution increasing physical activity levels may play in reducing chronic disease morbidity and mortality, there is a paucity of interventions and research indicating how to improve physical activity levels in African American men. Men on the Move was a pilot study to increase African American men’s levels of physical activity by improving access to age and ability-appropriate, male-focused physical activity opportunities and facilitating access to social support from male peers. Forty-one African American men ages 35 to 70 enrolled (mean age = 53.8). Groups of 5 to 10 men met once a week with a certified personal trainer for 10 weeks. Each meeting addressed barriers to physical activity, provided men with community resources, and incorporated activities that promoted flexibility, strength, balance, and conditioning. Improvements (p < .05) were detected for the following outcome measures: perceived self-efficacy to sustain physical activity, endurance, overall health status, and stress level. Physiological and fitness outcome measures improved, although not to significant levels. Whereas 40% of the men met the recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity weekly at baseline, 68% of the men met this recommendation by the end of the project. These positive results attest to the feasibility of successfully engaging middle-aged and older African American men in a physical activity intervention, and our findings demonstrate the initial efficacy of this intervention approach. More research is needed that includes a more intensive intervention and one that helps motivate men to be physically active outside of the structured, small-group sessions.

show abstract

Male Gender Role Strain as a Barrier to African American Men’s Physical Activity

Cited by 113 publications

References 31 publications

The Interdependence of African American Men's Definitions of Manhood and Health

The Interdependence of African American Men's Definitions of Manhood and Health

“I AM a Man”: Manhood, Minority Men’s Health and Health Equity

Men on the Move

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About