The “knucklehead” approach and what matters in terms of health for formerly incarcerated Latino men

In terms of the examination of the relationship between masculinity and health, there has been limited exploration of how the ways in which formerly incarcerated Latino men (FILM) construct their masculinities may conflict with public health messages. Using information gained from three years of ethnographic research that was conducted with formerly incarcerated Puerto Rican males in three urban communities in New York City, the authors examine what matters to FILM in terms of their health and well-being and what conflicts exist between public health prevention messages and FILM masculinity. Our results indicate the following: 1) major threats to the health of FILM, such as HIV risk behavior, alcohol and drug use and high caloric intake, are perceived as irrelevant to most of the FILM in the study; 2) young FILM believe that they engage in risky behaviors because of their “knucklehead” mentality and diminish their risks by becoming “street-smart;” and 3) social isolation, loneliness and general risk-taking behavior among FILM are salient issues that have yet to be effectively addressed. Of our sample of 32 FILM, we identified 7 individuals who have transitioned from having a “knucklehead” approach in their lives to possessing a greater sense of awareness of health and social matters. These seven individuals followed either or both of the following pathways: 1) pursuing a college education or 2) becoming community leaders.