Understanding the preferences of Australian men for accessing health information

Abstract

With men currently reporting an increased desire to manage their own health, this mixed-methods study aimed to identify the preferred communication channels to support their access to information. Adult cisgender men (n=410) completed an anonymous survey that assessed current methods, preferences and barriers to accessing health information for general, minor, serious and private health concerns. Seven focus groups, attended by 69 men, further explored health-seeking behaviour. Survey results demonstrated the top methods to access information were through the GP or specialist and online searches, with rates differing by age and the type of health concern. Most men (>85%) reported information-seeking for serious concerns, while ~30% did not seek information for minor or private issues. For all ages, the top preferred methods for accessing information included GP or specialists, online searches and pharmacists, with other preferences varying by age, severity and sensitivity. Analysis of the focus group discussions revealed five key themes that help explain men’s decisions and actions about seeking health-information: (i) denial; (ii) delayed information seeking; (iii) social constructs of masculinity; (iv) difficulty initiating discussions about health; and (v) perceived trust and validity of information. This study has provided insight into how information can be tailored to communicate effectively with men of different ages. This will support appropriate health-seeking behaviours in response to minor, serious and private health concerns.

Evaluation of CTRL: a web application for dynamic consent and engagement with individuals involved in a cardiovascular genetic disorders cohort

“…It is unclear why significantly more males than females registered to CTRL in the retrospective group. However, males are likely to engage in online activity when seeking information about their health condition [ 28 ] and can be motivated by consideration for their health and wellbeing when offered opportunities to self-monitor their condition or study progress [ 29 ]. Cardiac patients are often experienced with ongoing self-monitoring and drug adherence programs [ 30 ] so may be better adept at interacting with an online tool and allude to altruistic motives for engaging in research [ 31 ].…”

“Your Diet Defines Who You Are, Especially as a Man”: Masculinity in Online Media Focused on Healthy Eating for Men

“…As (healthy) eating is socially produced and traditionally in quite gendered ways, we wanted to understand the meanings and messages being made available to men around healthy eating, using online healthy eating advice as a widespread and important source of information and meaning-construction ( Gough, 2006 ; Mackenzie & Murray, 2021 ). Given the prominence of online media in men’s health-related knowledge ( Hodyl et al, 2020 ; Pew Research Center, 2003 ; Wang et al, 2021 ), this focus seemed important, and we attempted to produce a dataset of information a man searching for healthy eating advice would likely encounter. Our search terms for data generation were, however, based on considered and educated guesswork, in the absence of data on this.…”

“…However, reiterating these constructions can reinforce the value of, and encourage alignment with, traditionally hegemonic ideals of (Western) masculinity, which are themselves problematic for health and well-being (e.g., Mahalik et al, 2007 ). As media are an important source of health information (e.g., Hodyl et al, 2020 ), it would be valuable to explore how successful mediated health promotion information that does not simply reinforce traditional masculinity tropes, and yet appeals “to men,” can be developed. Despite current media healthy eating information remaining apparently limited by traditional ideas, as masculinities “open up” (e.g., Elliott, 2020 ), especially for younger men, there is scope to utilize—and promote—different discourses and modes of masculinity in and through “healthy eating” advice—both in media and more official health promotion contexts.…”

“…The public considers media a primary provider of health and diet-related information ( Dodds & Chamberlain, 2017 ), with online media one of the most popular sources for obtaining health information ( Wang et al, 2021 ); searching for health or medical information online has been one of the most popular uses of the internet ( Pew Research Center, 2003 ). Men recently ranked online media sources as one of their top two preferences for sourcing health information ( Hodyl et al, 2020 ).…”

Patient initiated radiology requests: proof of wellness through images

“…One element of consumer-driven care is seen in patients requesting a referral for a radiological study from their GPs. It is thought that some of these requests are fuelled by the availability of online health information, where individuals are more aware of their health needs and goals (Lee et al 2015;Hodyl et al 2020). Platforms, such as social media (Esen et al 2019), mobile applications (Groß and Schmidt 2018) and community led online groups (Fiksdal et al 2014), are encouraging individuals to become proactive during patientdoctor consultations.…”