GUYnecology by Rene Almeling

Author:Rene Almeling [Almeling, Rene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780520289246
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 2020-08-24T22:00:00+00:00

Individual Intentions and Barriers to Health

Reacting to health messages about the effects of individual behavior on sperm, James and Malik exemplify a common pattern amongst my respondents: a sharp disjuncture between what men themselves say they would do versus how they imagine the average man’s reaction. Far from dismissing the leaflet, nearly every man in this very diverse sample made it clear that if they were in the position of trying to have a child, then “of course” they would do everything possible to reduce the risks to their children’s health. Like Malik, several of the other men took a checklist approach, ticking through their lives to identify problem behaviors in need of modification. And like James, about half laced their discussions with intonations of morality, designating those who would “take heed” of such advice “good fathers” and underscoring men’s “duty” to their future children. Putting these same sentiments in more colorful terms, Nick, a thirty-three-year-old, single gay man, explained he would try to follow the recommendations because “I don’t half-ass things. So I would not half-ass being a parent if and when I was going to be a parent. Not doing this would be half-assing it.”

Shortly after we discussed the leaflet, I did a debrief with each interviewee, alerting them that some of the bullet points had a stronger evidence base than others (see the “Interview Guide” in Appendix A). Then I asked whether this sort of uncertainty would change their response. Just four men said it would. For example, Wei explained, “If there’s uncertainty, I think it’s less compelling for me or for anybody to try to avoid a birth defect in, for example, choosing a diet.” However, the majority of men said the precise levels of risk did not matter and stated, like Travis, that they would “err on the side of caution.” Daniel, a twenty-three-year-old who planned to have children someday, noted, “I don’t know how bad the numbers are, but I mean if there’s any way to increase the probability of having a healthy child, then by all means take all necessary precautions.”

Now, one of the most well-documented findings in the health literature is the gulf between what people say they will do and what they actually do. Entire models have been elaborated on the disconnect between health beliefs, health intentions, and actual health behaviors.17 Aware of these dynamics, several respondents underlined the difference between what they saw as “basic” health advice in the leaflet—what David called the “life code,” and Michael the “hallmarks of healthy living”—and the actions men could reasonably be expected to take. Neeraj, who had been incarcerated for most of his adult life, put it this way:

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