McDaid, L. , Flowers, P. , Ferlatte, O., McAloney-Kocaman, K., Gilbert, M. and Frankis, J. (2020) Informing theoretical development of salutogenic, asset-based health improvement to reduce syndemics among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men: empirical evidence from secondary analysis of multi-national, online cross-sectional surveys. SSM - Population Health, 10, 100519. (doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2019.100519) (PMID:31853476) (PMCID:PMC6911981)
|
Text
203785.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. 521kB |
Abstract
Globally, gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBMSM) experience an increased burden of poor sexual, mental and physical health. Syndemics theory provides a framework to understand comorbidities and health among marginalised populations. Syndemics theory attempts to account for the social, environmental, and other structural contexts that are driving and/or sustaining simultaneous multiple negative health outcomes, but has been widely critiqued. In this paper, we conceptualise a new framework to counter syndemics by assessing the key theoretical mechanisms by which pathogenic social context variables relate to ill-health. Subsequently, we examine how salutogenic, assets-based approaches to health improvement could function among GBMSM across diverse national contexts. Comparative quantitative secondary analysis of data on syndemics and community assets are presented from two international, online, cross-sectional surveys of GBMSM (SMMASH2 in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and Sex Now in Canada). Negative sexual, mental and physical health outcomes were clustered as hypothesised, providing evidence of the syndemic. We found that syndemic ill-health was associated with social isolation and the experience of stigma and discrimination, but this varied across national contexts. Moreover, while some of our measures of community assets appeared to have a protective effect on syndemic ill-health, others did not. These results present an important step forward in our understanding of syndemic ill-health and provide new insights into how to intervene to reduce it. They point to a theoretical mechanism through which salutogenic approaches to health improvement could function and provide new strategies for working with communities to understand the proposed processes of change that are required. To move forward, we suggest conceptualising syndemics within a complex adaptive systems model, which enables consideration of the development, sustainment and resilience to syndemics both within individuals and at the population-level.
| Item Type: | Articles |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | LMcD and PF are funded by the United Kingdom Medical Research Council (MRC) and Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (CSO) at the MRC/CSO Social & Public Health Sciences Unit, University of Glasgow fund LMcD and PF (MC_UU_12017/11, SPHSU11; MC_UU_12017/12, SPHSU12). JF and KMK are funded by Glasgow Caledonian University. The SMMASH2 study was partly funded from a grant from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian, United Kingdom. Postdoctoral funding for OF was provided by Movember Canada (Grant # 11R18296), the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (Grant # 11R06913) and the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research in Canada (Grant # 17945). MG is funded by the Provincial Health Services Authority, British Columbia, Canada. The Sex Now 2014-15 survey was partly funded by a grant from the Vancouver Foundation and the Public Health Agency of Canada. |
| Status: | Published |
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: | McDaid, Professor Lisa and Flowers, Professor Paul |
| Authors: | McDaid, L., Flowers, P., Ferlatte, O., McAloney-Kocaman, K., Gilbert, M., and Frankis, J. |
| College/School: | College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > MRC/CSO SPHSU |
| Journal Name: | SSM - Population Health |
| Publisher: | Elsevier |
| ISSN: | 2352-8273 |
| ISSN (Online): | 2352-8273 |
| Published Online: | 27 November 2019 |
| Copyright Holders: | Copyright © 2019 The Authors |
| First Published: | First published in SSM - Population Health 10:100519 |
| Publisher Policy: | Reproduced under a Creative Commons license |
University Staff: Request a correction | Enlighten Editors: Update this record
Funder and Project Information
Funder and Project Information