Anderson Chelsie, Seff Laura R, Batra Anamika, Bhatt Chintan, Palmer Richard C
Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
J Aging Res. 2016;2016:8981435. doi: 10.1155/2016/8981435. Epub 2016 Jun 5.
Evidence-based health promotion programs are effective at reducing health risks and healthcare costs among older adults, but few men participate in the programs. This mixed methods study aimed to gain insight into the barriers to recruiting and engaging older men in evidence-based health promotion programs offered by the Healthy Aging Regional Collaborative of South Florida (HARC). Fourteen program coordinators participated in a focus group to identify barriers and strategies to improve male participation, and 49 instructors participated in a survey to triangulate the findings. Themes among barriers to male participation included women outnumbering men in the implementation sites and programs, conflict between male gender roles and the programs, and preference for other activities. Themes among strategies included public support of programs by male community leaders, program advertisements featuring males, and adapting program content. Survey results supported themes identified in the focus group. Nearly 78% of the survey respondents agreed that the perception of exercise programs as feminine was a barrier and over 90% of the survey respondents believed program advertisements featuring men would increase male participation. Findings indicate that health promotion programs and recruiting strategies need to be tailored to the unique needs and preferences of older men to improve participation.
基于证据的健康促进项目在降低老年人的健康风险和医疗成本方面是有效的，但很少有男性参与这些项目。这项混合方法研究旨在深入了解在南佛罗里达健康老龄化区域合作组织（HARC）提供的基于证据的健康促进项目中，招募和吸引老年男性参与的障碍。14名项目协调员参加了一个焦点小组，以确定提高男性参与度的障碍和策略，49名指导员参加了一项调查，以验证研究结果。男性参与的障碍主题包括实施地点和项目中女性人数超过男性、男性性别角色与项目之间的冲突以及对其他活动的偏好。策略主题包括男性社区领袖对项目的公开支持、以男性为特色的项目广告以及调整项目内容。调查结果支持了焦点小组确定的主题。近78%的调查受访者认为将锻炼项目视为女性化是一个障碍，超过90%的调查受访者认为以男性为特色的项目广告会增加男性参与度。研究结果表明，健康促进项目和招募策略需要根据老年男性的独特需求和偏好进行调整，以提高参与度。
