Among men previously diagnosed with high blood pressure, those who exhibited more masculine behaviors in adolescence were 11 percent less likely to take prescribed blood pressure medication, a new study has found. Similarly, men exhibiting higher masculine characteristics in adulthood were seven percent less likely to use blood pressure medication and 10 percent less likely to use diabetes medication if diagnosed with diabetes.
According to RCO News Agency, “Our hypothesis is that social pressures lead to behavioral differences that affect efforts to reduce cardiovascular risk,” said study researcher Nathaniel Glaser. This is worrisome because it can lead to worse long-term health outcomes.
According to SF, the participants in this study, whose average age at the end of the research period was 38 years, were mostly white (64%) and had private insurance (80%). The sample also included Asian American and Pacific Islander (7%), Hispanic (12%), and non-Hispanic Black (16%) participants, which is generally representative of the US male population.
The findings suggest that societal pressures on men to appear strong and self-reliant may inadvertently encourage them to avoid seeking medical help or acknowledging health problems. This behavioral pattern can have serious consequences, as timely diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular risk factors is very important to prevent heart disease later in life.
Glaser concludes: We are witnessing how pressures to convey identity influence health behaviors. Diagnosis and treatment are important for serious cardiovascular disease, according to new research. The study suggests that society’s pressure on men to appear tough and self-reliant may be literally putting their hearts at risk.
This pattern begins in adolescence and continues into adulthood, potentially putting men at greater risk for cardiovascular problems later in life, say researchers at the University of Chicago. In their study, more than 4,000 American men were examined from their teenage years to early adulthood, and examined how their degree of “conformity to male stereotypes or so-called masculinity” affected the likelihood of diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes. has put
The researchers found that men who exhibited higher levels of masculine behavior were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with these conditions, even when medical tests showed they had them.
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