I Know but I Don’t Know
Black men in the United States do not go to the doctor as often as other men of different race or as frequent as Black women do. Oftentimes, they go to the doctor only when they are sick or after strong coercion from female family members like their wife, mother, or sister. This type of health management is reactive. It means that you are waiting for something to happen before you go to the doctor. This means that you already have a medical problem before you go to the doctor. This is not where you want to be, behind. You never want to be “behind” in anything; therefore, you need to move from a reactive state to a proactive state regarding your health.
Black Men may fearful of going to the doctor but fear may not be the only feeling. What they may feel is dread of the doctor’s advice. This dread may be source of Black men’s reluctance to see a doctor. Black men know their doctor will make recommendations about their health but Black men may not know how to incorporate the recommended activities into their life. For many Black men these are “just words” that the doctor spit out to them. The doctor’s advice may not fit their lifestyle. They may leave the doctor’s office without knowing how to fit the recommendations into their life and do not move forward with the doctor’s recommendation. From a healthcare perspective this may be seem like noncompliance. Maybe noncompliance is not really the culprit, but lack of education and development of a plan of care that fits the man’s lifestyle is the real culprit.
Think about this. The doctor’s recommendations may interfere with how Black men get gratification in their lives. For example, tell the man he needs to stop drinking alcohol; however, the people he drinks with are his family and friends. The possibility of him stopping is slim. Most actions that people do gives them some type of personal gratification whether that is fame, fortune, or fun. If you take away the gratification source you must replace it with something that is equally gratifying to the man.
What Black men may need is for the doctor or the doctor’s nurse to spend more time with him figuring out how to incorporate these recommendations in his life. He may also need to include his wife or significant other in developing a plan. The man may need to have periodic phone calls especially in the first few weeks from the doctor to discuss issues that may have arisen. It is important to have follow-up appointment scheduled before he leaves so that the doctor can monitor his progress. Also, there are several mobile health and fitness apps that are free and can be incorporated in the plan such as Google Fit, FitOn, Health Diet Foods Fitness Help, Digital Blood Pressure Tracker, BP checker, BP Lg, and mySugr-Diabetes apps, just to name a few. These mobile apps need to be downloaded while Black men are in the doctor’s office. The key is to start with simple steps, involve Black men’s family or support person, and use technology.
