, ,

Intensions Study: Health Stigma & Toughness

, ,

Intensions Study: Health Stigma & Toughness

New study finds more than a third of men feel it’s important to be tough, despite the health consequences

A new study conducted by Intensions Consulting and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation has found that thirty-five percent of men believe it’s important to demonstrate toughness, endorsing views that men should ‘never reveal their vulnerability’ and should ‘take risks, even though they might get injured’.

The study, which was published in the latest edition of Oxford’s Health Promotion International, involved an online survey with 2000 Canadian men between the ages of 19 and 94 years. Through this survey the researchers discovered that:

- 39% of Canadian men believe it’s important to ‘never display weakness’;

- 39% of Canadian men believe it’s important to ‘never reveal your vulnerability’;

- 34% of Canadian men believe it’s important to ‘take risks, even if you might get injured’;

- 28% of Canadian men believe it’s important to ‘show others how tough you are’.

The study found that holding these toughness beliefs was associated with a greater frequency of health risks among men, in particular having significantly higher rates of unhealthy eating behavior and higher screening rates for depression.

According to Dr. Don McCreary, study lead-author, “these results build on previous research showing that traditional male role norms can have an negative impact on men's health and well-being. Knowing that many men feel it is important to be seen as tough will help health promotion specialists build better tools and programs that will ultimately improve men's quality of life."

Nick Black - Intensions Consulting

The study also revealed that younger men were more likely to hold these beliefs, with 49% of men aged 19-29 believing that toughness was important, in contrast to 39% of men aged 30-54 and 23% of men aged 55+.

“For younger men in particular, performing and proving your toughness appears to be quite an important masculine norm”, said Nick Black, Managing Partner at Intensions Consulting and study co-author. “This data suggests that the need to show others how tough you are, could be playing a role in the unhealthy eating habits and mental health of men.”

ABOUT THIS STUDY

This study, conducted by Intensions Consulting and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, involved an online survey with a sample of 2000 Canadian males between the ages of 19 and 94. The study was published recently in Health Promotion International. For a copy of the detailed findings, please click: https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daz049

ABOUT INTENSIONS CONSULTING

Intensions Consulting Inc., is a Vancouver based market research consultancy. Our purpose is to find hidden insights and market opportunities for our clients. We do this through a combination of research and psychology - using statistics and emotion to explain human behaviour. Intensions conduct studies across North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific.

web: http://www.intensions.co

ABOUT CANADIAN MEN’S HEALTH FOUNDATION

Canadian Men’s Health Foundation is a national, not for profit organization established in 2014 by Dr. Larry Goldenberg and founding President Wayne Hartrick. The mission of Canadian Men’s Health Foundation is to inspire Canadian men to live healthier lives.

web: https://menshealthfoundation.ca

Client Quotes
What Our Clients Say

"In my experience, most research studies are not entirely surprising: They often simply serve to validate that which you already know. That was until I started working with Intensions... Their ability to turn what can often be uninspiring quantitative data into something simple, thought provoking and actionable is unparalleled in the industry. There is simply no comparison to other research agencies. Intensions sits at a level well beyond."

MICHELLE LEE, STRATEGIC PLANNING DIRECTOR,

OGILVY

What Our Clients Say

"I’ve had the pleasure of working with Intensions Consulting since early 2016. They came highly recommended and did not disappoint - becoming a natural extension of our team and trusted advisors. We partnered on a number of projects in support our expansion into new countries & markets. Not only did they bring incredible expertise they were able to learn our business, culture and values and apply recommendations that worked for our unique business and culture. We look forward to continuing to work with Intensions as a natural extension of the #SajeTeam."

KATIE DRECHSEL, VICE PRESIDENT,

SAJE WELLNESS

What Our Clients Say

"We've had the pleasure of working with Nick Black and the team at Intensions Consulting through our Movember funded Men's Depression & Suicide Network. As research partners, and external evaluators, they have played a substantive and valuable role in helping us to understand, measure and address public awareness and stigma surrounding men's depression and suicide. I fully endorse and highly recommend the work of Intensions Consulting and look forward to our continuing partnership."

DR. JOHN OLIFFE, PROFESSOR

UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

What Our Clients Say

"Research is critical to informing the creation and development of a brand and it takes a researcher who understands the complexity of brand development to set those wheels in motion. Thanks to the highly customized research approach Intensions Consulting produced and orchestrated for the Canada Beef global brand team, we were able to understand our key global markets in China, Japan, Mexico and at home in Canada in a whole new way. Intensions expertly guided us through an impressive array of statistics and provided our team with an interactive, collaborative and thought-provoking experience that will elevate our efforts for years to come."

JAMES BRADBURY, BRAND OFFICER,

CANADA BEEF

What Our Clients Say

"Nick Black and the team at Intensions Consulting have been a trusted source of research and insight for the Canadian Men's Health Foundation. As research partners they have helped us define our strategic direction, refine our health promotion initiatives, and validate the impact of work across Canada. We're very happy to recommend Intensions Consulting and we thank them for helping us ‘Inspire Canadian Men to Live Healthy Lives'."

WAYNE HARTRICK, PRESIDENT

CANADIAN MEN'S HEALTH FOUNDATION

What Our Partners Say

"I've worked with Nick on a number of projects and would work with him again at the drop of a heartbeat. His depth of knowledge and understanding of market research, market psychology and strategy is beyond impressive and his passion for it is contagious... I've seen clients totally blown away with the work he has presented and more so because new thinking like morphological research is (finally) giving us that human reality layer to research; a layer that's been missing for a long time and which ultimately, gives brands a tangible competitive advantage."

DR. JON HAYWOOD, HEAD OF STRATEGY

NOMADS AGENCY

What Our Clients Say

"Working with the Nick and the team at Intensions was such a pleasure! Not only does Intensions bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in market research and psychology, but they also go above and beyond to ensure that you are satisfied. Many research studies have been conducted around the world on consumer preferences and buying behaviour in the agricultural field. However, none of these were quite like the research completed by Intensions for our organization and membership base."

DR. ANGELA GRETER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,

ALBERTA FARM ANIMAL CARE

What Our Partners Say

"Intensions Consulting's qualitative market research approach is capable of distilling invaluable insights, the kind that will inform the development of well-grounded, market-relevant, truly differentiated brands. Nick's ability to extract meaning from fundamental human motivations, perceptions, beliefs and attitudes, allows you to uncover the most viable path for developing a brand."

JAVIER PUIG, DIRECTOR,

PERSONA