Evaluation of Health Awareness and Perceived Health Status among Men in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Background Men's health has emerged as an important public health concern requiring new healthcare interventions and increased resources. Knowledge about one’s own health influences engagement in preventive behaviours including health-seeking behaviour in men. Objective This study assessed health awareness and perceived health status among men in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. Methods A quantitative cross-sectional design was used to administer a self-administered questionnaire on 387 men conveniently available in randomly selected communities. The data were analysed using a Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 29.0. for windows. Descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used. The significance level was set at 0.05, and all tests were two-tailed. Ethical approval was granted by the University of Venda Research ethics committee with reference number FHS/21/PH/26/1215, and permission was also obtained from community leaders. Results The majority (68%) of men knew that smoking poses a risk of developing lung cancer, and more than half (51%) knew it was not normal to experience pain when urinating. Health care workers were the main source of health formation, with about 75% of men receiving health care from these practitioners. More than half (54%) of men perceived their health status to be in good condition six (6) months before the study. Conclusion However, they lacked knowledge that too much alcohol was harmful to their health. The majority of men received health information from healthcare workers and perceived their health status to be in good condition six months before the study. There is a need for education about the impact of too much intake of alcohol on health.