Determining key factors for increasing health promotion participation: A qualitative exploration of African American males' health perspectives

Background: Persistent biopsychosocial disparities faced by African American males and lack of information about challenges preventing health behavior practices among them suggest an ongoing need and priority for community outreach, research and education efforts focused on this group. Objective: This qualitative study explores African American males' perspectives through a church-based; community engagement forum using the Health Belief Model to identify factors influencing their participation in health promotion activities. Methods: Partnerships were formed with Piedmont Triad North Carolina community members, churches, local media, health educators, and academic and lay health care providers. Partnerships were fundamental in developing, implementing, and analyzing the semi-structured interview sessions. This study included 1) two forums related to biopsychosocial health disparities faced by African American males, 2) qualitative analysis (i.e., audio recordings, verbatim transcriptions, and theme coding) of forum sessions, 3) enlisting lay health professionals from the community to provide feedback about themes developed in this project. Results: Forum participants (N=68) ranged in ages from 15 years-old to 68 years-old, with an average age of 44 years-old (SD = ± 14.5). Five salient themes emerged: 1) Lack of Chronic Disease Awareness, 2) Fatalism, 3) Fear and Anxiety toward the Academic-Medical Setting, 4) Hyperactive Masculinity Fatigue, and 5) the Gay-Straight Divide. The term Tired Black Male Health Syndrome was coined and operationalized during the sessions. Conclusion: To increase African American male participation in health promotion activities, it may be necessary to integrate their health beliefs and perspectives into church-based interventions geared toward knowledge enhancement and misconception reduction.