College Men's Health: An Overview and a Call to Action

Abstract

For men of college age, the risks of disease, injury, and death are far greater than for women of the same age group, yet college men's health concerns receive little attention from health professionals. In this multidisciplinary overview, the author discusses college men's health risks, men's failure to adopt health-promoting behaviors, their propensity to engage in risky behaviors, their beliefs about manhood, their attitudes concerning their own vulnerability, and their limited knowledge about health. Men's socialization as boys is discussed to provide a framework for understanding why many college men have adopted unhealthy lifestyles. How masculinity and stereotypes about manhood influence the health services provided for men are outlined. The importance of providing gender-specific health behavior interventions and programs is stressed, and implications for future research are offered.

Key Words:

• gender
• health
• health promotion
• men
• risk behavior
• susceptibility

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Will H. Courtenay

Will H. Courtenay, a licensed clinical social worker, is a psychotherapist practicing in Berkeley and San Francisco and also serves universities and colleges as a consultant on men's health. Unpublished material referred to in this article is based on data Dr Courtenay presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the doctoral degree, University of California, Berkeley, June 26, 1996.