Men With Type II Diabetes in Peru: The Role of Masculine Gender Norms in the Perception of Family Support

Type II diabetes is increasingly becoming a problem in Latin American countries such as Peru. People living with diabetes must incorporate several behavioral changes in their everyday lives, which are done outside the purview of medical professionals. Support from friends and family members is essential to the successful management of any chronic condition. Our study discusses the role of family involvement in supporting the management of diabetes among Peruvian men and examines how masculine norms play a role in the way such support is received and perceived, and their influence in motivation to adhere to treatment recommendations. In-depth interviews with 20 men from a low socioeconomic status, aged 27 to 68 with a diagnosis of Type II diabetes were conducted. Our analysis suggests the importance of the close, complex, and integrated experience that connects family members and patients with a chronic condition. Participant accounts demonstrate they receive multiple forms of support from a diverse range of social relationships. The overwhelming majority of the people giving the support were female and were especially significant in supporting management practices. The participants' accounts were able to demonstrate how living with a chronic condition, such as diabetes, affects the whole family-physically, mentally, and emotionally-and they experience the disease as one unit. Our study demonstrates the need for a family health experience approach that considers masculine gender norms around health and provides relevant insights to inform family-based treatments and therapies to allow for more and better targeted health care for men.

"I want to be there for my children": fatherhood, diabetes and temporality among Peruvian men

Introduction

Living with a chronic condition is a challenging experience, as it can disrupt your capacity to function and fulfill social roles such as being a father. Fatherhood constitutes an important component of masculinity that has not received significant attention in studies aimed at understanding the role of gender norms in health-related behaviors. Fatherhood refers to the set of social expectations placed on men to provide, protect, and care for those considered his children. Our paper aims to show the importance of understanding men's perspectives around fatherhood and its relevance for staying healthy.

Methods

In-depth semi-structured interviews with men living with Type 2 diabetes in Peru to explore their experiences with diabetes management.

Results

Eighteen Peruvian men, diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes for at least one year and with ages between 27 and 59 years old were interviewed. They had an average of three children each and were all insured under the national insurance plan aimed at low-income groups in Peru. Their accounts described their concern of not being able to fulfill their roles as fathers as a result of their condition. They mentioned the importance of being physically and emotionally present in the lives of their children, taking care of them, and being an example. These concerns varied depending on the age of their children: those with younger children were more preoccupied with ensuring they stayed healthy. Temporality provides a relevant analytical approach to understand the interplay of fatherhood and motivation for diabetes management.

Discussion

Our study advances the research around the intersection between health and gender norms and argues that a more nuanced understanding of the construction of masculinity and the relevance of fatherhood in the lives of men could be useful to design and identify better health promotion strategies tailored to men with diabetes.