By Alan Mozes
NEW YORK, Jun 12 (Reuters Health) - With Father's Day looming, here are some
interesting facts about the men in your life: although almost 20% of them do
absolutely nothing in terms of seeking exercise, half would actually go to the
gym if they believed doing so would result in more of something they really
want--sex.
These are just some of the findings of a new survey jointly sponsored by
"Men's Health" magazine and CNN, the release of which kicks off the 6th annual
National Men's Health Week from June 12 - 18. A public awareness program to
focus attention on the need for prevention, early detection and treatment of
men's health problems, the effort is headed by the National Men's Health
Foundation. The annual week-long run-up to Father's Day received official
recognition by the US Congress at its inception in 1994.
"This is just 1 week a year where we can concentrate on focusing men's
attention on thinking about their health and taking care of themselves so they
can prevent heart disease, melanoma and prostate cancer--always a big issue. And
we're saying to men that just the way you take your car in for an oil change,
spend a few hours per week taking care of your health," said Ron Geraci,
features editor at Men's Health.
Spearheading the campaign is the men's health poll which focused on issues
relating to why men go or do not go to their doctor, what they say when they are
there, and what they think about their health, fitness, looks, exercise and life
expectancy. Conducted by Opinion Research Corporation International, the
researchers contacted over 2,000 adults across the continental US in two
separate telephone surveys during March and April. The surveys were based on
questionnaires developed by Men's Health.
In addition to the fact that 20% of men do not walk, lift weights, use a
treadmill, stationary bike or Stairmaster, jog, run, bike or swim, researchers
also found that among men:
-- 30% are afraid of going broke, while only 10% are afraid of dying;
-- almost 60% think they'll live to age 80, even though the average life
expectancy for a man born in 1970 is only 67, and women still outlive men by
about 6 years;
-- almost 35% would not visit a doctor for chest pain and almost 25% would
not go for erectile dysfunction--although 35% would be more likely to go if they
were offered a free Swedish massage and 17% would go if there was a "really
attractive receptionist";
-- over 25% lie to their doctor when they go because it is easier, another
25% lie because they are afraid the doctor will get mad, almost 35% lie because
they are too embarrassed, and 1 out of 5 will lie because they do not want bad
news;
-- the lying covers topics ranging from following doctor's advice (13%) and
taking medications properly (8%) to sexual practices (2%) and symptoms of a
major illness (2%);
-- and half say they have no time for exercise or are too tired, with over
40% saying there is always something else to do that is more important.
In an interview with Reuters Health, Geraci said that the results of the
poll suggest that men need to take more responsibility for their health.
"The thing that is interesting is that it seems that when going to the
doctor, men are looking for expediency," he said. "The predominant number of
men--61%--said they would go to the doctor if they could get in and out of the
office in 10 minutes or if the visit was free--that's just incredible. Men only
go to the doctor if there's something really flagrantly wrong. They can spend
their lives not having to worry about constant maintenance care--unlike women.
But they should worry about it more than they do--that's one of the points of
this health week."
Geraci noted that since the week designation began 6 years ago, there has
been a noticeable increase in interest among men, indicating that the goal of
raising awareness is making some headway. "We get more calls about it now," he
said. "More people are anticipating it. And we have a lot of people who are
doing initiatives on their own, which is great--blood pressure checks and things
of that nature. We encourage people to do that, and that's certainly been
increasing over the last 5 years."
