According to the CDC, 14.9% of men over the age of 18 are in fair or poor health. Health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority men are even worse. While much progress has been made in the field of men's mental health, there is much more that can and should be done. The basis of my final project is how to leverage data visualizations to raise awareness for men's mental health and to inform viewers on how they can help. June has been designated as Men's Mental Health Awareness month here in the United States, so I hope that my final project will act as a resource in the build up to a larger campaign in the summer. The project will begin by covering the dropoff in socialization experienced by males after their mid-20s and the associated negative effects on mental health. My goal is to then convey how various socioeconomic factors can cause small negative effects to snowball in broader mental and physical health effects. Lastly, I want to provide the user with a tool that will help them engage in conversations about mental health with the men in their lives.
In the past decade, a large push has been made for better collection on mental health data here in the United States and abroad. A quick look at data provided by the CDC in 2017 on men's mortality would make one think that suicide is just barely in the top 10 causes of death. However, a deeper look at the study reveals that suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for males aged 1-44, which is an extremely important segment of an individual's life. From birth until age 45, people can go through high school, get their first job, start a family, and maybe have children of their own. This fact can be easily washed out and forgotten when aggregating across all age groups. The CDC has many collections of data on men's health outcomes by age, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic status. (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mens-health.htm) However, health outcomes do not paint the entire picture of the reality of men's mental health. The level of care available, along with its accessibility, is also a key factor I would like to communicate to my audience. The CDC also collects information on mental health services accessed in the US. (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db380.htm) Similar to the health outcomes data, it is available by age, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic status. This will facilitate the conversation around the availability of care and relate back to the health outcomes for the 1-44 age bracket. Lastly, there are many other organizations that advocate for men's mental health awareness. While their data sources are not as robust as the CDC, they still have great overall graphics and trends. SAMHSA, Mental Health Advocate, and the Mayo Clinic all have great resources available. Other survey organizations have information on socialization & reliance, primarily during the time of COVID (https://www.americansurveycenter.org/research/the-state-of-american-friendship-change-challenges-and-loss/).
The plan is to use Shorthand to integrate user stories and data visualizations into a cohesive presentation. Given the presentation is only one minute long, I'll have to decide on the most important aspects to highlight. I also want to implement either an AR data visualization, a VR program that will offer participants with the option to practice opening lines for mental health conversations, or (at least) a guide for how to make on (important things to incorporate, user stories, etc. like in Policy Innovation Lab).Click Here for Part II Click Here for Part III