Health information needs of men

Objective: To understand the views of men and service providers concerning the health information needs of men.

Design: A men’s health programme was implemented aimed at developing new health information resources designed for use by local organizations with men in socially disadvantaged groups. Research was carried out at the scoping stage to assess the views of men and other programme stakeholders.

Setting: The research was conducted within the north of England between Manchester, Bradford and Leeds. The region was selected as it is characterized by socio-economic and ethnic diversity.

Method: A structured evidence review was conducted on current provision of health information. Qualitative interviews were carried out with men (n = 46) across four groups, young men (aged 16–21), new fathers (25–45), middle-aged men (40–55), and older men (60+). Telephone interviews were carried out with stakeholders with expertise in men’s health, including health professionals, service providers and commissioners (n = 20). All interviews were fully transcribed and analysed thematically.

Results: Key themes emerging concerned: routines men follow for engaging with health information; support required for making effective use of information; preferred settings and media approaches; and what men would like to see in the future. The importance of personalization and settings-based approaches was explored, and factors engendering trust were outlined.

Conclusion: The research outlined common themes and differences among men according to age and life stage. There is a need for targeting materials to more fine-grained ‘segments’ of men. The project contributes to producing actionable insights, while it remains important to explore complexities of men’s health information needs.