Why Men Avoid Care for Common Health Risks

Males and females received different care for hypertension, diabetes, and HIV in 200, 39, and 76 countries.

Men in many countries are more likely than women to suffer and die from three major health conditions and are less likely to seek medical care, according to research by Angela Chang and colleagues from the University of Southern Denmark, published in PLOS Medicine. ()

Sex-Based Disparities in Diagnosis and Treatment of Major Global Diseases

Many health policies are the same for males and females, even though there is strong evidence that sex and gender can substantially influence a person’s health outcomes. In the new study, researchers gathered global health data for people of different sexes and ages for three conditions, hypertension, diabetes, and HIV and AIDS. By comparing rates of diseases between males and females and differences in diagnosis and treatment, the researchers sought to illuminate and reduce health inequities between the sexes.

The analysis identified significant differences between the sexes at each step in the “health pathway,” which includes exposure to a risk factor, development of the condition, diagnosis, treatment and death.

Males had higher rates of disease and higher rates of death compared to females, and in some countries, were less likely to seek out health care and adhere to treatment. In most countries, males were also more likely to smoke, while females were more like to be obese and engage in unsafe sex.

Overall, the study suggests that public health professionals need to develop strategies to encourage males to participate in preventive and health care services. The researchers also highlight the importance of examining health data by sex to understand health inequities and guide appropriate interventions at multiple points along the health pathway. They conclude that we need more comprehensive datasets for these and other conditions so that we can monitor for sex differences and implement equitable health care policies.

Professors Kent Buse and Sarah Hawkes, co-founders and co-CEOs of Global 50/50 say, “We have long advocated the benefits of publishing sex disaggregated data. As our Gendered Health Pathways demonstrates, such data can reveal where the health journeys of men and women diverge be it in relation to the risk factors they are exposed to, their health care seeking behaviors or their experiences in health care systems.

That is an important first step towards health equity. Most of these differences are not explained by sex (biology) alone, but by socially-constructed gender – highlighting the importance of taking a gender justice approach to reducing health inequities. A gender analysis can help to shape systems of health for all.”