Healthy People 2030 emphasizes the importance of increasing men’s health awareness through preventive screenings and regular health care. Despite this, men continue to use preventive health services less often than women, with Black and Hispanic men utilizing these services less frequently than White men. The US Preventive Services Task Force and the Institute of Medicine recommend tailoring health promotion efforts to meet the needs of specific populations. Research suggests that men favor community-based health initiatives such as health fairs. However, there is limited guidance on tailoring health fairs to meet men’s needs and preferences, despite evidence showing that gender-sensitive health programs are more effective in engaging men. To address this gap, a multisectoral team (e.g., medical professionals, community members, researchers, barbers, etc.) developed, implemented, and evaluated a men’s health fair in a rural-adjacent county in South Carolina, with targeted outreach to attract Black and Hispanic men. The health fair consisted of vendors, organizations, and volunteers across the state that provided attendees free health screenings, health information, and resources.

A survey was completed by 58 health fair attendees (55.8% female, 64.6% Black or African American, 17.9% Hispanic of Latino) that assessed barriers and facilitators to men's participation in health fairs, with results stratified by gender of respondent. Descriptive analyses were conducted in SPSS and results revealed similarities between male and female respondents in their perceived barriers and facilitators to men’s participation in health fairs. For example, both male and female respondents strongly endorsed lack of health insurance and financial concerns as a barrier to participating in health fairs; and the presence of giveaways/prizes as a facilitator to men’s participation in health fairs. There were also notable differences between male and female respondents such that males strongly endorsed not having support or encouragement from friends or family as a barrier to attending health fairs whereas female respondents did not endorse said barrier as strongly.

These findings can be used to inform the development of future men’s health fairs by tailoring these events to the expressed preferences and needs of health fair attendees. Doing so can help increase engagement in health fairs and thus promote preventive health service utilization among men.