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Masculinity, medical mistrust, and preventive health services delays among community-dwelling African-American men.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Hammond, WP; Matthews, D; Mohottige, D; Agyemang, A; Corbie-Smith, G
Published in: J Gen Intern Med
December 2010

BACKGROUND: The contribution of masculinity to men's healthcare use has gained increased public health interest; however, few studies have examined this association among African-American men, who delay healthcare more often, define masculinity differently, and report higher levels of medical mistrust than non-Hispanic White men. OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between traditional masculinity norms, medical mistrust, and preventive health services delays. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional analysis using data from 610 African-American men age 20 and older recruited primarily from barbershops in the North, South, Midwest, and West regions of the U.S. (2003-2009). MEASUREMENTS: Independent variables were endorsement of traditional masculinity norms around self-reliance, salience of traditional masculinity norms, and medical mistrust. Dependent variables were self-reported delays in three preventive health services: routine check-ups, blood pressure screenings, and cholesterol screenings. We controlled for socio-demography, healthcare access, and health status. RESULTS: After final adjustment, men with a greater endorsement of traditional masculinity norms around self-reliance (OR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.60-0.98) were significantly less likely to delay blood pressure screening. This relationship became non-significant when a longer BP screening delay interval was used. Higher levels of traditional masculinity identity salience were associated with a decreased likelihood of delaying cholesterol screening (OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.45-0.86). African-American men with higher medical mistrust were significantly more likely to delay routine check-ups (OR: 2.64; 95% CI: 1.34-5.20), blood pressure (OR: 3.03; 95% CI: 1.45-6.32), and cholesterol screenings (OR: 2.09; 95% CI: 1.03-4.23). CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to previous research, higher traditional masculinity is associated with decreased delays in African-American men's blood pressure and cholesterol screening. Routine check-up delays are more attributable to medical mistrust. Building on African-American men's potential to frame preventive services utilization as a demonstration, as opposed to, denial of masculinity and implementing policies to reduce biases in healthcare delivery that increase mistrust, may be viable strategies to eliminate disparities in African-American male healthcare utilization.

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Published In

J Gen Intern Med

DOI

EISSN

1525-1497

Publication Date

December 2010

Volume

25

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1300 / 1308

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Time Factors
  • Sex Factors
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Preventive Health Services
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care
  • Middle Aged
  • Masculinity
  • Male
  • Humans
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
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Hammond, W. P., Matthews, D., Mohottige, D., Agyemang, A., & Corbie-Smith, G. (2010). Masculinity, medical mistrust, and preventive health services delays among community-dwelling African-American men. J Gen Intern Med, 25(12), 1300–1308. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-010-1481-z
Hammond, Wizdom Powell, Derrick Matthews, Dinushika Mohottige, Amma Agyemang, and Giselle Corbie-Smith. “Masculinity, medical mistrust, and preventive health services delays among community-dwelling African-American men.J Gen Intern Med 25, no. 12 (December 2010): 1300–1308. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-010-1481-z.
Hammond WP, Matthews D, Mohottige D, Agyemang A, Corbie-Smith G. Masculinity, medical mistrust, and preventive health services delays among community-dwelling African-American men. J Gen Intern Med. 2010 Dec;25(12):1300–8.
Hammond, Wizdom Powell, et al. “Masculinity, medical mistrust, and preventive health services delays among community-dwelling African-American men.J Gen Intern Med, vol. 25, no. 12, Dec. 2010, pp. 1300–08. Pubmed, doi:10.1007/s11606-010-1481-z.
Hammond WP, Matthews D, Mohottige D, Agyemang A, Corbie-Smith G. Masculinity, medical mistrust, and preventive health services delays among community-dwelling African-American men. J Gen Intern Med. 2010 Dec;25(12):1300–1308.
Journal cover image

Published In

J Gen Intern Med

DOI

EISSN

1525-1497

Publication Date

December 2010

Volume

25

Issue

12

Start / End Page

1300 / 1308

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Young Adult
  • Time Factors
  • Sex Factors
  • Residence Characteristics
  • Preventive Health Services
  • Patient Acceptance of Health Care
  • Middle Aged
  • Masculinity
  • Male
  • Humans