Cardiovascular disease remains one of the leading causes of illness and death in the US and worldwide. Doctors and researchers have it high on their radar because it is more controllable and preventable than many other diseases and causes of death.
Importantly, however, adaptation and prevention depend on early detection and mitigation of risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Unfortunately, detection and mitigation among the US population are suboptimal: experts estimate that up to 75% of young adults with risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol are unaware of their conditions.
A study Led by researchers at the University of Chicago, it has been found that boys and men who exhibit behavior in their social environments that more closely align with stereotypical gender norms are less likely to report receiving a diagnosis or treatment for cardiovascular disease risk factors. The study is titled “Male Gender Expressivity and Diagnosis and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease Risks in Men.”
Their findings, published in JAMA network openedbuilds on existing research showing that sociocultural pressure to project male gender identity is linked to harmful health-related behaviors, such as substance use and rejection of medical therapies and recommendations.
“It is known that male sex and sex are associated with lower levels of help-seeking for a range of health problems – especially mental health and primary care. But previous studies have not further explored the social processes through which male gender is iteratively created. through an interaction between the individual and their environment,” said Nathaniel Glasser, MD, general internist and pediatrician at UChicago Medicine and lead author of the paper.
“In this new paper, we used innovative measurement techniques to look at the male gender construct and how it relates to cardiovascular disease prevention.”
Glasser and his colleagues analyzed data from Add healtha nationally representative, longitudinal study that collected health measures and survey responses from more than 12,300 people at multiple points over 24 years (1994–2018).
They quantified Add Health participants’ male gender expression by identifying a subset of survey questions that were answered most differently by self-identified male versus female participants, and then measuring how closely male participants’ answers to those questions matched those of their peers of the same sex.
“When we talk about gender expression, we’re not looking at anything physiological that can be influenced by the Y chromosome,” Glasser noted. “We are purely focused on self-reported behaviors, preferences and beliefs, and how closely these reported behaviors and attitudes resemble those of same-sex peers.”
The researchers focused on cardiovascular disease and compared Add Health’s biological measures with health-related survey responses to see whether men with detectable risk factors such as high blood pressure reported receiving a diagnosis or treatment for those conditions.
They found that men who showed more stereotypical gender expressions were significantly less likely to report that a health care professional had ever told them about certain risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Even if these men reported having previously received a diagnosis, they were even less likely to report taking medications to treat these conditions.
The risk factors examined in the study are all conditions that would normally be detected by screenings that are part of primary care. It is unclear whether the decline in reported diagnosis and treatment among those with higher male gender expression indicates that men are not getting screened; that they do not pay attention to their diagnosis even when they are screened; or whether they simply downplay their diagnoses when asked.
Whatever the underlying reason, the findings highlight a missed opportunity to prevent or alleviate serious cardiovascular disease later in life.
“Our hypothesis is that social pressure leads to behavioral differences that influence efforts to reduce cardiovascular risk, which is concerning because it could lead to poorer long-term health outcomes,” Glasser said.
Ultimately, the authors see that the implications of this research extend far beyond the topic of traditional masculinity.
“We see how the pressure to convey identity — whether it’s rooted in gender, race, sexuality or something else — influences health behaviors,” Glasser said.
“Belonging and belonging is a complex task, and we strongly believe that greater social sympathy, empathy and patience for others who take on that task would be good for people’s health.”
More information:
Male gender expressiveness and diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease risks in men, JAMA network opened (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.41281
Quote: Can social expectations of masculinity be bad for cardiovascular health? (2024, October 25) retrieved October 25, 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-10-social-masculinity-bad-cardiovascular-health.html
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