Rural men believe big is better

The masculine myth that "big is best" still persists among rural men, according to an extensive study of men in southern NSW.

A research group lead by Charles Sturt University (CSU) nutrition researcher, Ms Gabrielle O’Kane, has found that rural men do not think they should talk about health issues, visiting health professionals is still a "last resort" and heavy drinking is still for the Australian male, especially among young men in the groups.

"And being a ‘big bloke’ is seen as an advantage as you are less likely to be ‘picked on’ in a bar. So for the rural men we studied, big is still best," said Ms O’Kane.

The group questioned over 40 men aged between 25 and 64 in four groups around Wagga Wagga, Junee and Temora. One group was exclusively farmers.

"There is a dilemma for all of us, not just men, in these results. We want men to look after their health, but we do also want them to keep that instinctive need to feel strong and be able to protect themselves and their families, as the men stated in the research.

"When we promote health issues such as the link of heart attack and diabetes to poor eating habits, we need to acknowledge that men will want to remain big. What we need to tell them, however, is that this should be muscle rather than fat – they need to convert fat into muscle."

On the other hand, Ms O’Kane is also anxious about men who become overly concerned with their bodies in response maintaining good health. "Do we want men who are so worried about their health that they become depressed or overanxious about it?"

The study will appear in the March 2008 issue of the Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics.

(Source: Journal of Nutrition and Dietetics: Charles Sturt University: March 2008)