How do low income men present their positive health practices?

Poor health and premature death in the UK remain most strongly predicted by gender and socioeconomic status, and the comparative life expectancy of low income men has worsened over the last 30 years. The re-framing of men’s health as in ‘crisis’ does not appear to have effectively mobilised health behaviour change. This study proposes a radical attentional shift to capture what low income men are doing for their health, so that more realistic and workable ways of ‘doing health’ can be supported in this population.

The aim of this study was to map and understand the ways that low income men engage in what they feel are positive health practices. The creative methodology of photo elicitation interviewing was used to overcome men’s reticence in research interviews. This method is proposed to: encourage men to talk about things that do not get talked about in interviews and allow participants to reflect from a distance on taken for granted things in their lives.

Seven low income men from West Yorkshire were recruited, and (with a loaned digital camera) were asked to photograph aspects of their lives which said something about their health and well-being. Images formed the basis of a participant-led interview.

Analysis suggests that topics recognised in the literature as being rarely mentioned by men, including taboo subjects, were more easily accessed and discussed with this method. This paper discusses the strengths of this photo-elicitation interview and the relevance of outcomes for our understanding of men’s health.