Men are more likely to die from diabetes because their "masculinity" stops them from changing their lifestyles to help combat the disease, a study has claimed.
Research published in the journal Diabetologia by Dr Marlene Krag, of the University of Copenhagen, found that “personally-tailored†care to tackle diabetes is more likely to be taken up by women, than men – which can save lives.
The data collected showed women who were given “structured personal care†were 26 per cent less like to die of any cause and 30 per cent less likely to die of a diabetes-related cause, than women who were given routine care, reports the EurekAlert! news site.
The same mortality statistics for men were significantly different.
“Structured personal diabetes care could provide women with significant attention and support and thus provide an incentive to treatment adherence,†the authors of the report said.
“Women accept disease and implement disease management more easily, which might affect long-term outcomes.
“Masculinity may be challenged by diabetes, demanding daily consideration and lifestyle changes.
“The structures approach could conflict with men’s tendency to trust self-directed learning instead of self-management.
“We propose that the improved outcomes in woman may be explained by complex social and cultural issues of gender.
“There is a need to further explore the gender-specific effects of major intervention trials in order to rethink the way we provide medical care to both men and women, so that both sexes benefit from intensified treatment efforts.â€
The study assessed the impact of a trial, held in Denmark between 1989 and 1995, which provided tailored treatment to both male and female patients, alongside a control group.
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