Where Are All the Men? A Qualitative Review of the Barriers, Facilitators, and Recommendations to Older Male Participation in Health Promotion Interventions

Abstract

Objective Older men have lower participation rates than females in health promotion interventions. We conducted a qualitative review of 20 years of existing research across a variety of academic search databases to outline the barriers, facilitators, and recommendations for this imbalance. Data Source A systematic search was conducted across Google Scholar, PubMed, MEDLINE, CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, and Web of Science from dates January 1, 2000 – December 31, 2020. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria Abstracts were screened based on: original research, English language, recruitment or participation, health promotion or health program, and male gender. Data Extraction Of 1194 initial search results, 383 article abstracts were thoroughly screened for inclusion and 26 articles met inclusion criteria. Synthesis Included studies were coded and analyzed using Grounded Theory. Results Barriers included masculine gender roles as well as program scope, environment, and gender of the instructors and other participants. Facilitators included creating social groups of older males that participate in a variety of activities together, including hobbies and health promotion, over a long period of time. Conclusion Health promotion interventions should involve men in all aspects of program planning and implementation, take into account men’s existing relationships and interests to create gender-sensitive programming, and clearly delineate the benefits to participation.