Practical exploration and six-entry model of community operation mechanism for promoting male reproductive health

III. Challenges in the Work

1. Low Resident Response and Participation. Male reproductive health concerns individuals, families, and society, requiring the joint attention and active participation of the entire society. However, in promoting male reproductive health, the research team found that resident participation and response were not enthusiastic, and each activity required mobilization by relevant personnel. Our survey found that, in addition to the influence of traditional concepts, many people were concerned about their privacy being known by those around them in the same community.

2. Lack of technology and funding. In practical terms, funding and technology are two key aspects of promoting male reproductive health. The requirements for service personnel are high, demanding professional knowledge in both male and female reproductive health. Even with enhanced training, a shortage of service personnel will still occur in the short term. Funding shortages are also a prominent challenge in promoting male reproductive health. Providing services for male reproductive health is costly; for example, in addition to distributing promotional materials, necessary examinations are required, all of which necessitate financial investment.

3. Lack of integration and marginalization. Promoting male reproductive health requires integrating resources from all sectors of society to make the work more widespread and effective. On the one hand, it requires developing plans and implementing male reproductive health work step by step; on the other hand, it requires collaboration with other departments, relying on interaction to promote male reproductive health. However, currently, the task of promoting male reproductive health mainly falls on the population and family planning departments, leading to an "island" phenomenon in male reproductive health work, lacking cooperation and support from other sectors of society.

IV. Practical Exploration

Based on the actual situation in our district, we are actively exploring a community-based operational mechanism to promote male reproductive health. This mechanism uses community streets, departments, and neighborhood committees as basic units, targets people of reproductive age as the main service recipients, and relies on population and family planning service stations and medical and health units as the main bodies. It provides reproductive health knowledge dissemination, consultation, and guidance to people of reproductive age within the community, including reproductive health checkups, safe sex practices, and technical guidance and services related to contraception, safe pregnancy, and childbirth. Its fundamental purpose is to promote reproductive health and facilitate the all-round development of individuals.

1. Strengthen publicity and education to create a favorable environment. Research has found that the more economically underdeveloped a region is, the more deeply rooted its traditional culture tends to be, and the less resistance it encounters in culturally open areas. Therefore, creating a positive cultural environment often yields twice the result with half the effort in promoting male participation in family planning and reproductive health. To establish a community-based mechanism for male reproductive health, we combine four approaches:

First, we integrate it with community building and development. Community building and development encompass both economic and cultural aspects. Promoting male reproductive health requires both economic support and cultural foundation. We use the "New Marriage and Childbearing Practices Entering Every Household" campaign as a starting point to actively advocate scientific, civilized, and progressive marriage and childbearing concepts and lifestyles. We integrate male reproductive health education into community cultural activities, conducting promotional and consultation services, and holding knowledge competitions on male reproductive health. We also conduct interactive promotional education in male-dominated units such as military units and schools. Utilizing modern media, we broadcast male reproductive health programs on cable television and established a "Male Reproductive Health" column on the Yangpu Population Website. We employ diverse and easily understandable promotional methods, such as cartoons, display boards, and blackboards, tailored to different demographic groups.

Second, it should be integrated with promoting the all-round development of individuals. Fundamentally, reproductive health is an important component of a person's physical health and overall quality. Firstly, we should begin with adolescents, starting male reproductive health education in schools. Tailoring this to the psychological characteristics of adolescents, we should adopt a combined classroom and after-school education model to cultivate healthy sexual attitudes and acquire scientific knowledge about sex from a young age. Secondly, promoting male reproductive health requires a focus on education and awareness campaigns regarding the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS, enabling people to treat HIV/AIDS and people living with HIV/AIDS scientifically.

Third, this should be combined with improving the quality of life. Marital quality is an important reflection of people's overall quality of life, and the quality of sexual life is an indicator of marital quality. Firstly, starting from the newlywed stage, based on newlywed information, VCDs on topics such as the wedding period, male reproductive health, and eugenics should be rented to newlywed couples, informing them of their relevant rights. Secondly, follow-up efforts should be made to help couples understand that men and women should make joint decisions regarding marital and sexual life, that men can use appropriate contraceptive methods, and that men's concern for women's contraceptive methods can better support women's contraception and promote marital harmony.

Fourth, it should be combined with the promotion of social justice and social harmony. A characteristic of modern society is respect for human rights, with everyone enjoying the basic right to reproductive health services. Our promotion of male reproductive health should target all men within their physiological age, reflecting social justice. The integration of male reproductive health with social justice is mainly reflected in two aspects: first, strengthening the legal framework and establishing working systems; second, paying attention to special groups and protecting their legitimate rights. Providing reproductive health education and awareness services to people with disabilities on "Disability Day" will continuously expand the reach of male reproductive health education.

2. Expand male participation and improve work effectiveness. The success of male reproductive health work depends on the level of male participation and the effectiveness of publicity and services. The "six entries" model explored in Kongjiang Community addresses the issue of broad male participation. The "six entries" refer to bringing male reproductive health services to schools, military units, residential areas, workplaces, universities, and workers' cultural palaces.

Entering schools-targeting the physiological characteristics and needs of junior and senior high school students, utilizing classroom resources to conduct concentrated, effective, and engaging physiological and psychological education for adolescents;

Entering the military – given the characteristics of young men being concentrated in the military, having limited leisure time, and being subject to strict discipline, it is easier to carry out male reproductive health education and publicity.

Entering residential areas-the main places for people's daily lives-can promote male reproductive health through a variety of colorful activities;

Entering the workplace-allows leaders to set an example;

Entering universities-given the reproductive health needs and high educational level of male university students, it is possible to scientifically and systematically popularize reproductive health knowledge;

Entering cultural centers-promoting education through entertainment and combining it with enjoyment-can produce excellent results.

On the one hand, promotional services can be carried out for men of different age groups with different physiological characteristics, ensuring the continuity of male reproductive health work; on the other hand, the target groups of different units have individual characteristics, which can make the work more targeted, and can also meet the needs of various levels by taking into account the different humanistic environments of different units.

A review of global efforts to promote male reproductive health reveals that the key to success lies in creating a sustainable, effective, and widely accessible platform to change men's perspectives and expand societal participation. Therefore, this research explores community-based mechanisms for the sustainable and effective promotion of male reproductive health.