Health Of Males In Jamaica
3032-3044
Correspondence
Paul Andrew Bourne, Department of Community Health and Psychiatry, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, Mona Campus, Kingston 7, Jamaica. Email: paulbourne1@yahoo.com or Tel: (876) 457-6990.
Background: Studies on males in the Caribbean have been on marginalization; fatherhood; masculinity and none on the changing pattern of diseases. Aims: This study aims to 1) provide a detailed epidemiological profile of the health conditions; 2) indicate the changing pattern of the health conditions; 3) calculate the mean age of having reported illness or not; 4) compute the mean age of particular health conditions; 5) state whether the mean age of having a particular illness is changing; 6) determine whether there is a significant statistical correlation between health status and self-reported illness; 7) identify factors that correlate with health status; and 8) ascertain the magnitude of each determinant of the health status. Methods and materials: The current study used secondary cross-sectional data taken from two nationally representative surveys. A subsample of 12,332 males out of 25,018 respondents and 3,303 males from 6,783 respondents were extracted from the surveys of the years 2002 and 2007 respectively. Statistical analysis used: The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences for Windows, Version 16.0 was used for the analysis. Multiple logistic regressions were used to explain the variables of the models. Results: There is a possibility of a diabetes mellitus epidemic among Jamaican males, as the yearly average increase was found to be 156% for the studied period. Predictors of poor self-reported illness of males in Jamaica for the year 2002 were age (Odds ratio, OR = 1.044; 95% CI = 1.038, 1.049; P < 0.05); urban area (OR = 1.547, 95% CI = 1.172, 2.043; P < 0.05); and consumption (OR = 1.183; 95% CI = 1.056, 1.327; P < 0.05). Non self-reported illness of males in Jamaica for the year 2007 can be predicted by good health status (OR = 17.801; 95% CI = 10.761, 29.446; P < 0.05); fair health status (OR = 2.403; 95% CI = 1.461, 3.951; P < 0.05); age (OR = 0.967; 95% CI = 0.957, 0.977; P < 0.05); urban area (OR = 1.579, 95% CI = 1.067, 2.336; P < 0.05); and consumption (OR = 0.551; 95% CI = 0.352, 0.861; P < 0.05). Conclusion: The findings are far reaching and can be used to guide health policy formulation and intervention programmes in the future.