Do you know the top men’s health threats? The list includes heart disease, cancer and unintentional injury. Thankfully, most men’s health threats are largely preventable. Make healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating a healthy diet and including physical activity in your daily routine.
It’s also important to manage risky behavior, such as drinking too much and engaging in casual sex. Of course, commonsense precautions — such as using safety ladders and wearing a seat belt — count, too.
In fact, men in the United States face many of the same health problems men in other developed countries face, generally speaking. A recent healthcare study revealed that the life expectancy for men in the US was just over 76 years – around five years less than that of women. The leading causes of death for men are heart disease and cancer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), accounting for a combined 46.1 percent of all male deaths. These two issues can be spotted early and treated if a person is proactive about their healthcare and screenings. Some diagnoses that are particular to men, such as testicular and prostate cancers, have much better outcomes if they’re caught in their beginning stages.
In addition to physical disease, mental health issues are common among men in the US, with suicide ranking as the seventh leading cause of death. Men are more likely than women to participate in risky behaviors, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, highlighting the need for men to be educated on basic health and encouraged to lead healthy lifestyles.
All adults over the age of 18 should be screened and examined regularly by a primary care physician as part of their health regimen. However, men are less likely to abide by this guideline and make their health visits a priority. According to the American Heart Association, discomfort and wanting to save time and money are among the top 10 reasons that men avoid going to the doctor.
If you’re a man, being proactive about your health can extend your life expectancy and improve your quality of life. At Community Health Connections, we have healthcare professionals who specialize in assessing men’s health and want to help you. If you haven’t had a general physical exam in a while, or have a physical or mental health concern you’d like to discuss, contact us today and we’ll set up an appointment.