Health promotion programs and healthy lifestyle: Black males perspectives

Black males experience disproportionately higher chronic diseases such as HIV/AIDS, heart disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, etc. than any other racial group in the United States. Over the years, efforts have been made by public health professionals to understand and help prevent some of these health problems but applying one-size-fits-all health promotion programs has not helped reach black males. The purpose of this study is to determine the black males' perceptions, beliefs and attitudes about healthy lifestyle and preventive care and culturally appropriate way to promote health promotion programs among them. Methods: An hour face-to –face interview was conducted among 50 black males with mean age of 38 years. Twelve semi-structured open ended questions were used but there were some other follow-up questions. Results: The participants indicated that they do not engage physical activity because of lack of time, do not perceived themselves as susceptible to any chronic disease, and in Africa they do not follow any physical activity regimen. They reported good eating habit but most of them do not know the nutritional components of the food they eat. They indicated that preventive care is expensive and they do not have health insurance. The fear of knowing their health status deters them from preventive care. They indicated that health professionals who have better understanding of their culture, their food and also lead healthy lifestyle themselves are the ones they can trust for health promotion program. Conclusion: Healthy lifestyle promotion programs among black males should be based on their culture.