Gender differences in self-care for common colds by primary care patients: a European multicenter survey on the prevalence and patterns of practices (the COCO study)

Hoffman R. D., Thielmann A., Buczkowski K., EDİRNE T., Hoffmann K., Koskela T., ...Daha Fazla

JOURNAL OF GENDER STUDIES, cilt.30, sa.7, ss.756-771, 2021 (SSCI, Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 30 Sayı: 7
  • Basım Tarihi: 2021
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1080/09589236.2020.1843010
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF GENDER STUDIES
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, International Bibliography of Social Sciences, Periodicals Index Online, Educational research abstracts (ERA), Gender Studies Database, Index Islamicus, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Political Science Complete, Psycinfo, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.756-771
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Health behaviour, self care, common cold, Man Cold, gendered norm, home remedy, SEX-DIFFERENCES, MEDICATION USE, HEALTH, WOMEN, MEN, PAIN, BIAS, MASCULINITY, PERCEPTION, PREVENTION
  • Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Although generally harmless, the common cold disturbs the lives of billions yearly. It is frequently treated by self-care, yet little is known about the effect gender may have on self-care. Our study set out to discover whether self-care for common colds differs by gender. We also wanted to test the 'Man cold' belief: that men 'break down' when they have a cold and suffer more than women when they are sick. We distributed questionnaires asking for a selection of self-care practices in eight categories to 3,240 consecutive patients in 14 Eurasian countries at 27 primary care sites. Of 2,654 patients included, 99% reported engaging in self-care for common colds. Discomfort was reported more frequently by women (74.7% vs. 66.5%, p < 0.001). There were gender differences in several self-care categories. The mean use of self-care items was higher in women than in men (12.0 vs. 10.3, p < 0.001). Women reported a greater variety of self-care items than men. However, more men reported using alcohol (17.8% vs. 8.4%, p < 0.001). This cross-national study documented gender differences in self-care for common colds.