Canadian men's health stigma, masculine role norms and lifestyle behaviors

Adapting the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework to understand the association between stigma and sleep deficiency: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

Sleep deficiency and sleep disorders disproportionally affect socially disadvantaged and marginalized individuals and groups. Recent evidence suggests that stigma, a social process characterized by labeling, stereotyping, and prejudice, is associated with sleep characteristics.

PURPOSE

Guided by the Health Stigma and Discrimination Framework, the purpose of this systematic review is to describe associations between dimensions of stigma and sleep deficiency and to identify future directions for research.

METHODS

We searched the OVIDPsycINFO, OVIDEMASE, OVIDMEDLINE, and CINAHL databases for empirical research studies that reported relationships between the 3 dimensions of stigma-internalized, perceived, and anticipated-and characteristics of sleep deficiency-duration, continuity/efficiency, timing, alertness/sleepiness, quality, and disorders.

RESULTS

Of 1717 articles, 15 met our inclusion criteria. The most frequently assessed dimensions of stigma were internalized and perceived stigma. Characteristics of sleep deficiency were measured by self-report and included sleep quality, duration, trouble sleeping, and insomnia symptoms. We found consistent evidence that stigma, whether internalized, perceived, or anticipated, is associated with self-reported characteristics of sleep deficiency.

CONCLUSIONS

This evidence base can be further strengthened with prospective studies that incorporate both multidimensional measures of stigma and objective measures of sleep characteristics. We outline research implications that can clarify underlying mechanisms and more precisely define the relationships between stigma and sleep and inform interventions to address stigma, improve sleep, and reduce the health inequities that disproportionately affect individuals from socially disadvantaged and marginalized groups.

Sex-specific analysis of traumatic brain injury events: applying computational and data visualization techniques to inform prevention and management

BACKGROUND

The interplay of host, agent, and environment implicated in traumatic brain injury (TBI) events is difficult to account for in hypothesis-driven research. Data-driven analysis of injury data can enable insight into injury events in novel ways. This research dissected complex and multidimensional data at the time of the TBI event by exploiting data mining and information visualization methods.

METHODS

We drew upon population-based decade-long health administrative data collected through the routine operation of the publicly funded health system in Ontario, Canada. We applied a computational approach to categorize health records of 235,003 patients with TBI versus the same number of reference patients without TBI, individually matched based on sex, age, place of residence, and neighbourhood income quantile. We adopted the basic concepts of the Haddon Matrix (host, agent, environment) to organize emerging factors significantly related to TBI versus non-TBI events. To explore sex differences, the data of male and female patients with TBI were plotted on heatmaps and clustered using hierarchical clustering algorithms.

RESULTS

Based on detected similarities, the computational technique yielded 34 factors on which individual TBI-event codes were loaded, allowing observation of a set of definable patterns within the host, the agent, and the environment. Differences in the patterns of host, agent and environment were found between male and female patients with TBI, which are currently not identified based on data from injury surveillance databases. The results were internally validated.

CONCLUSIONS

The study outlines novel areas for research relevant to TBI and offers insight into how computational and visual techniques can be applied to advance the understanding of TBI event. Results highlight unique aspects of sex differences of the host and agent at the injury event, as well as differences in exposure to adverse social and environmental circumstances, which can be a function of gender, aiding in future studies of injury prevention and gender-transformative care.

Systemic and Individual Factors That Shape Mental Health Service Usage Among Visible Minority Immigrants and Refugees in Canada: A Scoping Review

There exists considerable research which reports that mental health disparities persist among visible minority immigrants and refugees within Canada. Accessing mental health care services becomes a concern which contributes to this, as visible minority migrants are regarded as an at-risk group that are clinically underserved. Thus, the purpose of this review is to explore the following research question: "what are the barriers and facilitators for accessing mental health care services among visible immigrants and refugees in Canada?". A scoping review following guidelines proposed by Arksey and O'Malley (International Journal of Social Research Methodology 8(1): 19-32, 2005) was conducted. A total of 45 articles published from 2000 to 2020 were selected through the review process, and data from the retrieved articles was thematically analyzed. Wide range of barriers and facilitators were identified at both the systemic and individual levels. Unique differences rooted within landing and legal statuses were also highlighted within the findings to provide nuance amongst immigrants and refugees. With the main layered identity of being a considered a visible minority, this yielded unique challenges patterned by other identities and statuses. The interplay of structural issues rooted in Canadian health policies and immigration laws coupled with individual factors produce complex barriers and facilitators when seeking mental health services. Through employing a combined and multifaceted approach which address the identified factors, the findings also provide suggestions for mental health care providers, resettlement agencies, policy recommendations, and future directions for research are discussed as actionable points of departure.

The association between gender-related characteristics and type 2 diabetes risk in a multi-ethnic population: The HELIUS study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Men and women have different type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risks, which have been reported across populations of different ethnicity. Where differences in T2DM risk for sex (biological) have been studied, research on gender (socio-cultural) and T2DM risk is lacking. We explored, in a multi-ethnic population, the association of six gender-related characteristics with incident T2DM over 3 years, and the mediation by known risk factors for T2DM.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We included 9605 women and 7080 men of the multi-ethnic HELIUS study (Amsterdam, the Netherlands). We studied associations between gender-related characteristics and incident T2DM, using Cox regression. After a median of 3.0 years (IQR 2.0; 4.0), 198 (2.1%) women and 137 (1.9%) men developed T2DM. A lower T2DM risk was observed in those not being the primary earner (HR 0.67; 95% CI 0.47; 0.93) and a higher desired level of social support (HR 0.62; 95% CI 0.44; 0.87). Hours spent on household work, home repairs, type of employment and male- or female-dominated occupation were not associated with T2DM incidence. No evidence for effect modification by biological sex or ethnicity was found. Known risk factors of T2DM did not mediate the observed associations.

CONCLUSION

Gender-related characteristics, not being the primary earner and a higher desired social support were associated with reduced T2DM risk, and this was not mediated by known risk factors for T2DM.

Testosterone replacement therapy in the era of telemedicine

The events of the 2019 SARS-CoV2 virus pandemic have all but ensured that telemedicine will remain an important aspect of patient care delivery. As health technologies evolve, so must physician practices. Currently, there is limited data on the management of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in the era of telemedicine. This review aims to explore the potential benefits and pitfalls of TRT management via telemedicine. We also propose a theoretical framework for TRT management via telemedicine. Telemedicine provides patients and physicians with a new mechanism for American Urological Association guideline-concordant TRT management that can increase patient access to care and provide a safe space for men who may otherwise not have been comfortable with in-person evaluation. However, there are significant limitations to the use of telemedicine for the management of TRT, including the inability to perform a physical exam, inability to administer specific medications, technological barriers, data security, and medical-legal considerations, and both patients and providers should engage in shared decision making before pursuing this approach. Understanding and acknowledging the potential pitfalls of telemedicine for TRT management will enable both patients and providers to achieve optimal outcomes and satisfaction.

The Mental Health Effects of Cumulative Lifetime Violence in Men: Disruptions in the Capacity to Connect with Others and Finding Ways to Reengage

We report qualitative findings of our Men's Violence Gender and Health Study, a multiple method study using a sequential design in which we explored the mental health manifestations of cumulative lifetime violence in men. Survey results revealed that higher cumulative lifetime violence scores were significantly associated with higher scores on depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety in a community sample of men (n = 685) living in Eastern Canada. To obtain a deeper understanding of men's scores, we used an interpretive description approach to analyze data derived from 32 participant interviews. The main mental health manifestation of cumulative lifetime violence is perceptual interference, a sense of being disconnected or detached from others. This is managed by rectifying detachment, a process that includes efforts to gain connections with others. Findings suggest mental health needs in men with cumulative lifetime violence contradict gender role expectations to be stoic. Implications for nurses are explored.

Promoting Men's Health With the "Don't Change Much" e-Program

Men's e-health promotion programs can offer end-user anonymity and autonomy that provide avenues for supporting positive health behavior change. The twofold purpose of the current study was to use a benchmark cohort as a reference group to: (1) describe associations between men's usage levels of the e-health program Don't Change Much (DCM) and their recent and intended health behavior changes, and (2) report an exploratory analysis of the moderating effects of demographic variables on the associations between DCM users and their recent and intended health behavior changes. Based on self-report, DCM users were classified into limited (n = 613, 34.7%), low (n = 826, 46.8%), and high (n = 327, 18.5%) exposure groups. Compared with the benchmark cohort, DCM high-exposure respondents had significantly increased odds for eight of the nine recent behavior changes, with the largest effect size observed for "Made an effort to sit less and walk more" (odds ratio [OR] 2.996, 95% CI [2.347, 3.826]). Eight of the nine intended health behavior changes in the DCM high-exposure group had significantly increased odds compared to the benchmark cohort, with "Reduce stress level" (OR 3.428, 95% CI [2.643, 4.447]) having the largest effect size. Significantly greater total numbers of recent (F(12, 2850) = 29.32; p = .001; R² = .086) and intended health behavior changes (F(12, 2850) = 34.59; p = .001; R² = 0.100) were observed among high exposure respondents while adjusting for demographics. Younger age, being employed, and household income <$120,000 had an enhancing moderator effect on DCM users' number of intended behavior changes.

Using Google Trends and Twitter for Prostate Cancer Awareness: A Comparative Analysis of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Background

We evaluated (1) whether the public interest in prostate cancer and prostate cancer screening increased following Prostate Cancer Awareness Month (PCAM) and (2) whether PCAM was as effective as Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) at generating public interest.

Methods 

Using Google Trends, we measured search volume in PCAM and BCAM. We used the search volume in Google Trends as a proxy for changes in public interest from January 01, 2009 to December 31, 2018 worldwide, including the specific keywords: “Prostate Cancer”; “Prostate-Specific Antigen”; “Prostate Cancer Screening”; “Prostate Cancer Management”; “Breast Cancer”; “Breast Cancer Screening”; “Mammography”; and “Breast Cancer Management”. Also, we measured tweets containing “prostate cancer” and “breast cancer”. We used an autoregressive integrated moving algorithm (ARIMA) to forecast expected weekly search volumes during PCAM and BCAM. We then compared the Google Trends data from during PCAM and BCAM to the forecasted values and determined a “greater than expected” range.

Results

The mean pooled percent increase in tweets associated with “prostate cancer” during PCAM from 2012 through 2018 was 15.9% (95% CI, -1% - 33%). The mean pooled percent increase in tweets associated with “breast cancer” during BCAM from 2012 through 2018 was 318.5% (95% CI, 268% - 369%). BCAM was associated with a 302.6% greater effect on increasing tweets referencing the disease of interest than PCAM from 2012-2018. “Breast cancer” Google searches were found to be 36.7% (95% CI, 34% - 39%) more frequent than “prostate cancer” per month from 2009-2019. Google Searches for “breast cancer screening” were 29.6% (95% CI, 28% - 31%) greater than “prostate cancer screening”.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that PCAM is not generating substantial internet interest, especially when compared to BCAM. The search volume for Google Trends search terms related to PCAM was less than BCAM in every comparison, and Twitter indicated only a slight increase of Tweets during the month of PCAM. Suggestions are provided to improve the effect of PCAM and men’s health.