Investigating the Relationship Between Masculinity and Type II Diabetes Diagnosis

Abstract

Endorsement of hegemonic masculinity has been largely associated with greater participation in health-risk behaviours. However, little research has accounted for the fluidity of masculinity, across time and contexts, which can allow men to engage in behaviours conducive to health. The aim was to use a contextualised masculinity measure to better map the association between masculinity and occurrence of Type II diabetes, a disease not yet explored through the gender lens. This cross-sectional study drew on previously sampled data from the longitudinal Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study (FAMAS) that began in 2002. A total of 633 men aged 47 to 92, originally randomly selected from the Northern and Western suburbs of Adelaide, completed a 2015 FAMAS follow-up questionnaire. Unadjusted and age-adjusted logistic regression models largely demonstrated an inverse relationship between masculinity, as a total and domain-specific construct, and Type II diabetes diagnosis. But when adjusting for other multiple covariates, the associations lost significance. The results suggest that research and healthcare services may have to consider the magnitude of the effects of masculinity on men’s health outcomes in the context of time and other more influential factors like level of health and socioeconomic status.