By Valentina Ruiz Leotaud , in Health , on February 13, 2014
The lyrics to Ray Charles hit R&B tune “I Don’t Need no Doctor” are just as valid today as they were in the 60’s. Men do not like to go to the doctor.
While more than 11.5 million women had contact with a physician in the past year across Canada, the number of men who did so was considerably lower. According to a 1999-study published in the Journal of Family Practice, “men are less likely than women to actively seek medical care when they are ill, choosing instead to ‘tough it out’.”
The reasons for not being engaged with their own well-being vary, from men conforming to an expected social role of being strong, almost immune to any physical threat, to other barriers like having to disclose their vulnerabilities to a third person, or having difficulties keeping up with appointments.
In marginalized populations, the phenomenon worsens. That’s why the team that coordinates the Positive Outreach Program at Vancouver’s Native Health Society launched an initiative called Downtown Urban-knights Defending Equality and Solidarity.
The program, better known by its acronym Dude’s Club, tackles Downtown Eastside’s men’s health by approaching them in an informal setting.