Men's Health in Asia

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Less than 100 years ago, when the life and, probably, health expectancies of both men and women were about equal, gender-specific health was not an issue. Women's Health became well established in the mid-1970s and early 1980s. Men's Health only emerged and broke into mainstream healthcare after 1995. It was only in 2005 that the Men's Health Act and the Office of Men's Health were established in the United States.

Until now, from in utero to old age, and for each of the 10 leading causes of death, males have higher mortality than females. Even for the same disease, e.g. hip fracture, men are more likely to succumb. Most researchers blame male behavioral factors as resulting in poor health seeking attitudes and poor preventive health care. Male stoicism, reluctance to seek help and fear of being vulnerable also account for their poorer health outcomes. The American Academy of Family Physicians claims that 30 behaviors place men's health at risk [1].

Research into men's health covering areas such as epidemiology, clinical, psychobehavioral and basic science studies is needed. There is certainly an urgent call to address the numerous health issues. In Asia, the situation is further compounded by the ‘Triple Tragedies’ that are engulfing the region: these encompass ‘growing old before becoming rich’, ‘falling ill before getting old’ and ‘escalating healthcare cost compounding the very tight development budget’.

There is a need for collaboration in Asian research work in order to deepen our understanding of the biological, psychosocial and cultural factors that strongly influence men's health in Asia. Men's health research collaboration should cover uniquely Asian subjects such as ‘the development of new tools to measure quality of life in Asian Men’, ‘the role and use of traditional medicine in health promotion’, ‘the treatment of sexual dysfunction and chronic diseases’ and ‘the role of traditional meditation and relaxation techniques in improving mental health’.

In this special issue, the jmh has tried to show the changing faces and facts of men's health in Asia. The importance of traditional, complementary and alternative medicine in Asia has been highlighted in two articles, one by Park et al. [2] and the other by Wong et al. [3]. Asia is the cradle for traditional and naturopathic medicine and we believe that more in-depth evidence-based research should be encouraged and supported. The role of masculinity traits and their effects on men's health seeking behavior in Asian men is elegantly reported by Ng et al. [4]. That study revealed that there may, indeed, be significant differences in the masculinity traits revered by Asian and Western men. There is no doubt that these masculinity traits have tremendous influence on men's behavior, which can put men's health in jeopardy.

This special Asian edition of the jmh also highlights other medical issues such as late onset hypogonadism, lower urinary tract symptoms, erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and regional men's health issues and problems.

Future research to improve men's health should also cover the psychobehavioral attitudes and mindset of different categories of the male population as these will help us understand our male patients better. Profiling these male cohorts will help in developing a more personalised and effective healthcare plan based on a shared decision model and evidence-based decision aids. Asian researchers need to develop their own decision aids and shared decision programs tailored to their local cultural context.

There are also great opportunities for studying Asian diets, especially Japanese eating habits which have been dubbed ‘the best diet for health and longevity’. Collaborative research on the needs of retired Asian men is also important for tackling problems that arise on retirement, and for improving the quality of life of retirees in the region as a whole.

Men's Health is, without doubt, a major concern in the 21st century. Asian governments need to address such issues as the sustainability of the workforce for maintaining economic growth, improvement in living standards and control of the escalating health budgets. Success in men's health developments needs broad-based and in-depth research that should include psychobehavioral and social marketing research.

We sincerely hope that many more Asian researchers and contributors will take up these challenges and conduct good collaborative studies to answer questions relating to key men's health issues that are vital for elevating men's health status in the region.

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References 

1. Courtenay WH. Behavioral factors associated with disease, injury, and death among men: evidence and Implications for prevention. J Men's Stud. 2000;9:81–142
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2. Park J, Shin DW, Ahn TY. Complementary and alternative medicine in men's health. jmh. 2008;4:305–313
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3. Wong LP, Tan HM, Low WY, Ng CJ. Traditional and complementary medicine (T/CM) in the treatment of erection difficulties – experience from the Asian Men's Attitudes To Life Events and Sexuality (MALES) study. jmh. 2008;4:356–365
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4. Ng CJ, Tan HM, Low WY. What do Asian men consider as important masculinity attributes? Findings from the Asian Men's Attitudes to Life Events and Sexuality (MALES) Study. jmh. 2008;4:350–355
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