Socio-cultural determinants delaying Black men's health-seeking behaviour in the public primary health care settings of Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, South Africa

<ns3:p>The rapid process of social change which took place in South African society from the beginning of the last century has had many negative effects on the lives of the majority of the country’s Black population. Black men in particular have been the most affected group. Reportedly, this is the group that has been more at risk of premature morbidity and death due to preventable diseases of various kinds. Yet, a significant number of studies have shown that Black men are the least consumers of the public primary health care facilities and services available to them. The main aim of this article was to explore how social and cultural determinants of health-seeking behaviour (HSB) shaped their response to ill-health. A contextual, descriptive and explorative research design was used, based on 15 purposively sampled research participants (Black men) between the ages of 25 and 66 years, who lived in the township of Ga-Rankuwa, Pretoria, City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (Gauteng Province, South Africa). The primary data for the study were collected by using in-depth semi-structured interviews, and were thematically analysed by using the “seven steps approach to thematic analysis”. The primary data points towards understanding the role of social and cultural factors in shaping Black men’s health care decisions and choices. The article also broadens the lens to understand the constraints on Black men’s HSBs, and the extent to which, and the ways in which these constraints are rooted historically.</ns3:p>