Men’s Health Week – A Very Important Focus
I’ve always marveled at the emphasis that our country puts on women’s health – and it’s for a good reason. The diseases that are unique to, or have an increased effect on, women have been historically downplayed or even ignored. The pink breast cancer awareness ribbons have been a great reminder of how important women’s health is, but did you know that there is a ribbon for men? As you might guess it’s blue, but it’s certainly not seen as often or even recognized as a reminder of the importance of men’s health. It just isn’t that well known, but there are many good reasons to take some time to focus on the health of men.
It is interesting that it was Senator Dole who first presented legislation to recognize the week leading up to and including Father’s Day as Men’s Health Week, since it was Senator Dole along with Senator Bayh who authored the Bayh-Dole Act 14 years earlier that paved the way for great medical discoveries and continues to have a profound effect on everyone’s health. Senator Dole understood that there needed to be a focus on the health of men. Here is what Senator Dole knew:
In 1920, women lived, on average, one year longer than men. Now, men, on average, die almost five years earlier than women.
Men die at higher rates than women from 9 of the top 10 causes of death.
Men are the victims of over 92% of workplace deaths.
It is often a significant financial burden when a man dies before his wife.
It was evident that there was a disparity that needed to be addressed and Senator Dole took action in 1994. This movement has even spread to recognize this time period as International Men’s Health Week.
I want to emphasize that this isn’t a contest between pink and blue . . . recognizing the differences in how diseases affect women and men might have been our first step in understanding the importance of diversity as we now begin to uncover the uniqueness in each one of us. The pink and blue can serve to bolster each other. One particularly important reason that women have a big impact on a man’s health is that women are more likely to visit the doctor for annual examinations and preventive services than men. Here’s a statistic that gives everyone a reason to encourage the men in their lives to get their prostate checked: While prostate cancer is the second most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in men in the United States; if caught early, there is an 85% chance of survival. Early detection is key.
There is a big disparity between black and white males when it comes to prostate cancer. African American men are more than 1.5 times as likely to develop prostate cancer compared to the general population and twice as likely to die from it. If diagnosed at the same stage, the mortality of African American men is the same as the general population. The 5-year relative survival rate among African Americans who are diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer is close to 100% but drops to 28% when the cancer has spread to distant sites. Early detection is critical.
It’s not just physical conditions that we need to pay attention to during Men’s Health Week. Mental health is a continuing problem that continues to get worse. Suicide is the 9th leading cause of death in men, and men are 4 times more likely to die of suicide than women. Our fight to increase funding and insurance coverage for mental health is a hopeful step in our battle to improve our mental health.
If you do nothing else during Men’s Health Week, talk to the men in your life about their health. When was the last time they saw their doctor? Have they had blood work done? When was the last time they saw a dermatologist? How about a prostrate exam or a colonoscopy? They may literally squirm in their chair, but it’s this type of reaction that causes men to see their doctor less often than women. Break through the barrier. Tell them that you would like to have them around to celebrate many more Father’s Days. Tell them to do it for their family, tell them to do it for you.
Best, Thair