A cross-cultural examination of masculinity and health behaviour in Hong Kong: the mediating role of age and social support

Objectives: Examine masculinity as a predictor of engagement in health behaviour, and explore the mediating effect of age and social support on the relationship between conformity to masculine norms and health behaviour among a sample of Hong Kong Chinese, mainland Chinese, Caucasian, and South Asian men living in Hong Kong.
Methods: A cross-cultural community sample of 495 men aged 18–81 years (M_age = 39.87 years) were recruited to the study. Participants completed self-report measures of conformity to masculine norms (CMNI), social support (MSPSS), and health behaviour (HBI).
Results: Conformity to masculine norms was predictive of engagement with health behaviour, meanwhile age and social support mediated the relationship between conformity and health behaviour. Conformity was stronger among younger men, while higher levels of social support were predictive of poorer engagement in health behaviour for men in the present study. Findings from the multiple mediation revealed that social support better accounted for poorer engagement in health behaviour when compared to age.
Conclusions: While much of the literature has focused on the toxic impact of masculinity on men’s health, the present findings demonstrate that conformity to masculine norms does not necessarily equate with health risk behaviour. The association between lower levels of social support and health behaviour were interesting and demonstrate men’s autonomy in health matters; this contradicts previous findings emphasising the importance of social support in influencing men’s positive health behaviour. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for and applications to men’s health and health promotion.