Scottish ‘hard man’
attitude still barrier to
saving men from cancer
A
RECENT UNIVERSITY STUDY
has discovered that the
‘hard man’ attitude which
remains prevalent in many Scottish
communities is preventing men
taking on board vital messages about
male cancer risks.
The male cancer charity which
commissioned the study, Cahonas
Scotland, is calling time on complacency
in dealing with the cancer message to men
in all of Scotland’s communities. Based
on the findings from the research, the
charity is pushing for more male cancer
awareness-raising campaigns which are
specifically tailored to the cultural needs of
different groups of men living in Scotland.
The study, carried out by QMU on
behalf of Cahonas Scotland, focused
on what Scottish men from specific
communities actually knew about male
cancer. Most of the men in the study
had limited awareness about specifically
male cancers, were reluctant to deal with
concerns about male cancer, and would
probably ignore symptoms and delay
consulting with health professionals or
seeking other forms of advice.
Focus groups were conducted with four
groups of men in Scotland’s central belt,
with care taken to include some groups
which are particularly susceptible to male
cancers specifically, with representation
from groups and areas in Scotland with
poor health generally:
• men over 40 years of age
• homeless men
• minority ethnic men
• men aged 18 – 25 years of age
John Hughes, a sociologist from QMU,
explained: “Most of the men in this study
felt uneasy about being open in relation to
their feelings about health and wellbeing
generally and male cancer specifically.
This reluctance was explained within the
context of a need to protect those closest
to the participants (for example, partners,
12
QMYOU / Health & Rehabilitation
family and friends), as well as the need
to maintain a strong sense of physical
and emotional fortitude.” As David, a
homeless man who participated in the
focus group, said: “Your problem’s your
problem, mine is mine. Leave it at that,
have a pint, there you go!”
Participants reported that if men are
experiencing health-related problems,
then they tend to ignore it, “laughing it
off” or “kicking their concerns under
the carpet”. Most of the participants felt
that men in Scotland tended to take no
action until their symptoms could no
longer be easily ignored, rather than
seeking information, talking to friends or
family about their experiences, or seeking
professional advice and treatment. John
Hughes commented further: “Most of the
men were uncertain about the range of
cancers that affect men only, and one
participant was surprised to hear that
women cannot develop cancer of the
prostate.”
John elaborated: “Typically, according
to the men who participated in this study,
men living in Scotland would encourage
friends to have a laugh, a joke and a pint,
rather than share their emotions or fears
about the effects of male cancer with
each other.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the participants
in the study also confirmed that women
were far more likely to seek help with
health-related problems, and were far
better at talking to their friends about their
concerns, compared to Scottish men.
However, the study did show some hope
for Scottish men. John Hughes explained:
“In spite of a generalised conception of
Scottish men as unable to talk about
their health concerns, participants in the
focus groups were actually extremely
open to talking to each other about their
emotions, health, wellbeing and fears
about male cancer, and they welcomed
the opportunity to do so with other men
like themselves.”
“Men do talk in their own cultural
environs and participants in this study
reacted positively and empathetically to
hearing about stories of other men who
had been diagnosed with, and recovered
from, cancer. For example, hearing about
one prostate cancer survivor’s personal
story of the effects of living with and
beating prostate cancer was enough to
encourage every participant in this study
to confirm that they would attend for
prostate screening if they needed to.”
Martin Docherty from Cahonas Scotland
said: “The study has presented us with
extremely valuable information and
confirms that much more specific work
needs to be done to target and educate
Scottish men from deprived areas about
male cancers. There are still lots of
barriers to be broken down, but what
comes out loud and clear is that men can
talk to one another about cancer but they
require the right environment to be able
to achieve this.”
The charity Cahonas Scotland
developed from the recognition that
although male cancer awareness has
been slowly growing, there was no real
Scottish focus.
Martin concluded: “This research
emphasises the importance for our charity
to work in partnership with other health
organisations to raise the profile of male
cancers, specifically amongst deprived
communities, and help to turn around
Scotland’s poor health record. We now
know we need a much more targeted
approach for certain communities in
order to break down stigma and deal
specifically with Scottish cultural attitudes
that are preventing men understanding
and dealing appropriately with male
cancers.
“It is now our intention to further develop
this pilot study into a larger piece of
research work which ensures Scottish
men are better equipped to deal with early
signs of male cancers.”