Faith and masculinity: A discussion on raising awareness and promoting wellness among Latino men

Males may experience several barriers to obtaining health care or becoming more active in a healthy lifestyle including unfamiliarity with procedures (i.e. colonoscopy), stigma and fear of a given health issue, perceived breach of masculinity (machismo), fear of feeling vulnerable, among others. Evidence suggests church-based interventions are an effective way to strengthen the connection between promotional message content with subjects' conceptualization of the risks and benefits of health maintenance. However, there is a lack of evidence demonstrating such effectiveness in the men's health realm, and even more of a dearth focusing on Latinos.

This discussion presents trends from community-based lectures conducted with Latino faith-based groups on men's health issues. A particular emphasis was placed on perceived masculinity (machismo) and gender roles within the social environment and how they influenced health maintenance and promotion among the group. Participant men indicated that machismo is a highly influential variable in the decision-making process of Latino men pertaining to health maintenance and their decision to receive care. Further, this paper advocates that faith-based groups can be an efficient and effective way to raise awareness and promote wellness among Latino men.

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Rovito MJ & Leone JE. (2012). Faith and Masculinity: A Discussion on Raising Awareness and Promoting Wellness among Latino Men. California Journal of Health Promotion. 10, Special Issue: Health Disparities in Latino Communities, 70-77