The Prevalence of Andropause Symptoms and the Role of Social Determinants of Health on its Severity in Healthy Men: A Community-based Study in Northwest Iran

Objectives: As men age, they experience changes due to reduced androgen level that is called andropause. Several factors contribute to reduced androgen levels in men. This study aimed at determining predictive factors for andropause. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted in 2015 on 264 andropausal men living in Tabriz who were selected using cluster sampling. Data was collected from April 2015 to September 2015 using demographic questionnaires and the male andropause symptoms self-assessment questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the participants was 58.8±6.3, and the mean male andropause symptoms self-assessment questionnaire score was 53.7±9.9. In addition, linear regression analysis showed that the variables of education, employment, satisfaction with the spouse’s behavior, housing status were among the predictors of andropause symptoms. Conclusions: According to the results, the prevalence of andropause symptoms was moderate. Some social determinants of health such as employment, education, and marital satisfaction played a role in andropause symptoms. It seems that conducting further studies on the main causes of this problem and finding practical solutions to reduce andropause symptoms is necessary for providing health care for andropausal men.