272229 Stress and coping in African American men's health: Implications for interventions

Monday, October 29, 2012

Andrea King, MPH , School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Derek M. Griffith, PhD , Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
Katrina Ellis, MPH/MSW, PhD (c) , School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Julie Ober Allen, MPH , School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Some methods for coping with stress can have negative health effects, and African American men have not typically responded to messages that promote healthy strategies for coping with life stressors. This presentation explores how African American men and key women in their lives describe 1) the influence of stress on health behaviors, 2) the effects of stress on physical and mental health, and 3) the benefits of healthy strategies for coping with stress. We used thematic content analysis to examine data from 18 exploratory focus groups with 154 African American men, ages 30 and older, and eight groups with 77 African American women. Men discussed mental health benefits of coping with stress including relaxation and clarity of mind. Men and women reported changes in men's diet as a result of stress with some men eating more and others eating less. The relationship between stress and eating has not typically been explored in the context of African American men's health. Similarly, stress was reported to increase some men's engagement in physical activity and decreased physical activity in others. Both men and women believed that stress could have serious negative consequences on mental and physical health including depression and high blood pressure. In order to increase the utilization of healthy coping strategies, it is critical to first understand how men cope with stress in healthy and unhealthy ways. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of the implications of these findings for individually-tailored and community-based interventions to improve African American men's health.

Learning Areas:
Diversity and culture
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
1.Describe the influence of stress on African American men’s eating and physical activity. 2.Identify the benefits of coping with stress on African American men’s health. 3.Discuss how individually-tailored and community-based coping interventions can improve African American men’s health

Keywords: African American, Stress

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I conducted part of the thematic analysis of focus group data presented in this paper. My co-authors include the PI of the study and project director.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.