Men’s transformative health service use: rethinking customer experience of vulnerability

Abstract

Purpose Preventative health services are keen to identify how to engage men and increase their participation, thus improving health, well-being and life expectancy over time. Prior research has shown general gender norms are a key reason for men’s avoidance of these services, yet there is little investigation of specific gender norms. Furthermore, masculinity has not been examined as a factor associated with customer vulnerability. This paper aims to identify the relationship between gender norm segments for men, likely customer vulnerability over time and subjective health and well-being. Design/methodology/approach Adult males (n = 13,891) from an Australian longitudinal men’s health study were classified using latent class analysis. Conditional growth mixture modelling was conducted at three timepoints. Findings Three masculinity segments were identified based on masculine norm conformity: traditional self-reliant, traditional bravado and modern status. All segments had likely customer experience of vulnerability. Over time, the likely experience was temporary for the modern status segment but prolonged for the traditional self-reliant and traditional bravado segments. The traditional self-reliant segment had low subjective health and low overall well-being over time. Practical implications Practitioners can tailor services to gender norm segments, enabling self-reliant men to provide expertise and use the “Status” norm to reach all masculinity segments. Originality/value The study of customer vulnerability in a group usually considered privileged identifies differential temporal experiences based on gender norms. The study confirms customer vulnerability is temporal in nature; customer vulnerability changes over time from likely to actual for self-reliant men.

Improving health service design and delivery for men: does gender targeting matter?

“…Recent research suggests that men who conform to traditional masculine norms (e.g. self-reliance and risk taking) are more susceptible to poor health outcomes (McGraw et al, 2024). Customized health interventions that leverage gender norms in a positive manner may increase patient engagement and better facilitate value cocreation.…”

“…At the same time, some masculine norms may play a positive role in transformative health services (McGraw et al, 2024). Sports-themed interventions that emphasize team involvement and interpersonal reliance can be used to create a male-oriented context that facilitates mutual caring behavior and health responsibility without threatening masculine identity (Bruun et al, 2014).…”

“…Therefore, it is important that transformative health service interventions match patients' value cocreation practice styles (McColl-Kennedy et al, 2012). Health-care providers should consider implementing a two-step framework that involves targeting men with health communications that fit their preferred communication styles and, then, tailoring decision aid content to individual-level differences (Alden et al, 2014), such as selfconstrual type (Friend and Alden, 2021) and/or masculine traits (McGraw et al, 2024). For example, providers could determine the patient's self-construal type prior to the consultation from a brief survey linked to the electronic medical record system.…”

“…Recent research suggests that men who conform to traditional masculine norms (e.g. self-reliance and risk taking) are more susceptible to poor health outcomes (McGraw et al. , 2024).…”

“…At the same time, some masculine norms may play a positive role in transformative health services (McGraw et al. , 2024).…”