The idea of a crisis in men’s health has been developing in Western societies for some decades. In Europe, men have been shown to be at greater risk than women of developing all major diseases, and to be more likely than women to die from leading causes of death; yet they are reluctant to seek medical advice.
This study explores how men of different backgrounds look after their health in their everyday life and what their health-related activities mean to them. At the same time, it examines whether different masculinities and ways of being men in contemporary Denmark are implicated in the participants’ care practices.
Data are generated through participant-produced photographs and in-depth interviews that use each participant’s photographs as a starting point for the conversation. The study’s findings highlight the importance of contextualizing practices of health care in everyday life and in networks of family and friends rather than focus on the experiences and care activities of individuals only. Furthermore, the findings draw attention to the complex patterns of masculinity in health and illness.
Further details can be found in a short video and in two publications:
”Contours of mens everyday health care and masculinities in Denmark”. Download the article here: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01459740.2017.1316981
“Men’s Everyday Health Care: Practices, Tensions and Paradoxes, and Masculinities in Denmark”.
The project is financed by the Department of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark.
Contact: Nina Nissen