Development of a men's health index / Muhammad Ashraf Khalid

Muhammad Ashraf, Khalid (2022) Development of a men's health index / Muhammad Ashraf Khalid. PhD thesis, Universiti Malaya.

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Abstract

Men have a higher burden of disease and mortality as compared to women across the globe. Despite this alarming phenomenon, focus on the health of men is notably absent in global health policies and programmes. One facilitator that might potentially capture the attention of policymakers, health professionals, and academics is the development of a men’s health index. An index can function in two major ways—to assess the magnitude of a problem, and to monitor changes in the problem, both over space and time. The purpose of this study is to examine the global state of men’s health by developing a men’s health index. This study was conducted in three phases. In phase 1, a scoping review was conducted to explore theories, models, and frameworks in men’s health studies. In phase 2, another scoping review was conducted to identify existing population health indices and to examine the methods used to develop these indices. In phase 3, a health index that measures health-related behavioural outcomes of countries and territories was developed to show the poorer health status of men as compared to women across the globe. The scoping review in phase 1 found theories, models, and frameworks of men’s health to be either generic to health sciences, generic to social sciences, or specific to men’s health. Three types of processes were observed: behavioural, cognitive, and gender processes. The scoping review in phase 2 discovered a low number of population health indices that measure specific health topics or health of specific sub-population. There is also lacking in the usage of universal theories, models, or frameworks in developing these indices. In phase 3, the developed health index comprises of five dimensions of health-related behaviours: (1) healthcare utilization, (2) diet, weight and physical activity, (3) substance use, (4) risk-taking, and (5) violence. The index evidently shows that men perform more health-compromising behaviours as compared to women and this gap remains consistent over the years. The index also shows significant associations with healthy life expectancy and the gender inequality index. The health index presents a multidimensional global assessment of health-related behavioural outcome, which explains the poorer health status of men as compared to women. The behaviours represented are modifiable lifestyle habits and the resulting adverse health effects of these behaviours are preventable. The index may serve as a baseline assessment and monitor the effectiveness of men’s health policies and programmes over the years. The comparable measure of the index provides objective assessment and potentially helps health policy design using evidence-based decision making to address men’s global burden of ill health.

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