Women's Health | Men's Health
Mens Health
Gender is one of the most important determinants of health behavior. Research consistently shows that men engage in far fewer health-promoting behaviors and have less healthy lifestyle patterns than women. For example, they eat more fat and less fiber; they sleep less; and they are more often overweight than women. College men, specifically, also engage in far fewer health-promoting behaviors than college women. For example, they consistently score lower on an index of health-protective behavior that includes safety belt use, sleep, health information, eating habits, and exercise. College men are also significantly less likely to practice self-examinations for testicular cancer than college women are likely to practice self-examinations for breast cancer. The failure among young men in general to adopt health-promoting behaviors increases their risks. Furthermore, college men's health-promoting behaviors have been found to decrease over time, while those of college women increase.
Risk Behavior
Young men also take greater risks than women do. For example, they drive more dangerously. They are far more likely to tailgate and run red lights; or to drive 20 miles per hour over the speed limit, pass in a no-passing zone, or pass two cars at a time on a two-lane road. Nearly one third of adolescent males take risks "for fun" while driving-over 4 times the number of females.
Men also engage in riskier sexual practices. Among college students, men begin sexual activity earlier in their lives, have more sexual partners, and are more likely than women to have sex under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.
In fact, consistent gender differences among college students are found for most health risk behaviors. A wealth of research has shown, for example, that college men are much more likely than college women to engage in risky sports, work, and travel. College men's risk taking compounds the hazards to their health associated with their failure to adopt the health-promoting behaviors discussed above. For example, their dangerous driving habits compound the risk associated with not wearing safety belts. Condom use provides another example. Only one third to one half of sexually active college men uses condoms. Even among those at high risk for STDs, three out of four use condoms occasionally or never.
Among young gay and bisexual men, a recent study found that one in four is having unprotected anal intercourse-and although the college men in this study were somewhat less likely than their non collegiate peers to have unprotected sex, the difference was not statistically significant. This widespread failure to wear condoms compounds the risks associated with college men's unsafe sexual practices.
Masculinity
While simply being male is linked with poor health behavior and increased health risks, so is gender, or men's beliefs about "being a man." A growing body of compelling research provides evidence that men who adopt traditional attitudes about manhood have greater health risks than men with less traditional attitudes. Among college students, traditional attitudes about masculinity have been linked with poor health behavior, including smoking; alcohol and drug use; and behaviors related to safety, diet, sleep, and sexual practices.
Compared to their less traditionally minded peers, college men who rigidly adhere to traditional notions of masculinity have more anxiety and poorer health habits, greater cardiovascular reactivity in situations of stress. College men who adopt traditional attitudes about manhood experience higher levels of depression, and are more vulnerable to psychological stress and maladaptive coping patterns; furthermore, these men compound their risks because they tend not to seek help from others and underutilize professional services on campus.
Concealing Vulnerability
Men further compound their risks by concealing pain and illness. They are less likely than college women to confide in close friends, to express vulnerability, or to disclose their problems to others. Consequently, others are often unaware when these men are in pain. This desire to conceal vulnerability can influence college men's decision not to seek care and can affect assessment and diagnosis when they do get care. In fact, they are significantly less willing than college women to seek support in situations where help is needed.
College men's reluctance to seek help can result in serious delays in treatment. College men are also more likely than college women to delay seeking psychological help. Among depressed college students, men are more likely than women to rely on themselves, to withdraw socially, and to try to talk themselves out of depression. College men's self-reliance and denial of pain can contribute to others' inattention to their health needs
Perceived Invulnerability
Despite their high risks, the vast majority of American men actually believe that their health is "excellent" or "very good" and report better health than women. Men are also less likely than women to perceive themselves as being at risk for illness or injury. College men perceive significantly less risk associated with the use of cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs than do college women; they are also more likely than college women to underestimate the risks associated with involvement in physically dangerous activities. In fact, college men are consistently found to perceive less risk than college women for a variety of health threats.
Similar gender differences in perceptions are found for driving risks and for automobile accidents. Adolescent males are more likely than females to expect no consequences-such as a citation, crash, or injury-to result from their more frequent reckless driving.
Men also differ from women in their perceptions of sexual health risks. Based on a variety of behaviors, including sex under the influence of drugs and number of sexual partners, men of all ages nationally are much more likely than women to be at high risk for STDs and HIV. Eighty-six percent of all STDs occur among those under age 30. Recent national data reveal that, based on their sexual histories, 60% of men under age 30 are at medium to high risk, 2 times the number of women; and of particular relevance here, that higher education is positively associated with greater STD risk.
Despite these statistics, many researchers have found that college men perceive less risk for HIV than do college women, although some have found either no gender differences or mixed results. However, college men have been found to report little concern even when their actual risk for STDs and HIV is high. This belief in their own attitude of invulnerability prevents college men from changing their behavior.
Health Knowledge
Research shows that men-including college men-are far less knowledgeable than women about health in general and about specific diseases, such as cancer, STDs, and risk factors for heart disease. Studies consistently find that women, including college women, know significantly more about skin cancer, sunscreen protection, and the harmful effects of sun exposure. College men also know significantly less about self-examinations for testicular cancer than college women know about self-examinations for breast cancer.
Men's ignorance about health matters can increase their risks. For example, lack of health knowledge is a major contributor to delays in seeking care for cancer symptoms. Men with less knowledge are also less likely to feel comfortable telling their doctor they have an STD, or to have talked to a health professional about risk assessment, getting tested, or prevention
Screening Tests and Immunizations Guidelines for Men
| Screening Tests | Ages 18-39 | Ages 40-49 | Ages 50-64 |
| General Health: Full checkup, including weight and height | Discuss with your doctor or nurse | Discuss with your doctor or nurse | Discuss with your doctor or nurse |
| Heart Health: Blood pressure test | At least every 2 years | At least every 2 years | At least every 2 years |
| Cholesterol test | Start at age 20, discuss with your doctor or nurse | Discuss with your doctor or nurse | Discuss with your doctor or nurse |
| Diabetes: Blood sugar test | Discuss with your doctor or nurse | Start at age 45, then every 3 years | Every 3 years |
| Prostate Health: Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) | Discuss with your doctor or nurse | Discuss with your doctor or nurse | |
| Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) (blood test) | Discuss with your doctor or nurse | Discuss with your doctor or nurse | |
| Reproductive Health: Testicular exam | Monthly self-exam; and part of a general checkup | Monthly self-exam; and part of a general checkup | Monthly self-exam; and part of a general checkup |
| Chlamydia test | Discuss with your doctor or nurse | Discuss with your doctor or nurse | Discuss with your doctor or nurse |
| Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) tests | Both partners should get tested for STDs, including HIV, before initiating sexual intercourse | Both partners should get tested for STDs, including HIV, before initiating sexual intercourse | Both partners should get tested for STDs, including HIV, before initiating sexual intercourse |
| Colorectal Health: Fecal occult blood test | Yearly | ||
| Flexible Sigmoidoscopy (with fecal occult blood test is preferred) | Every 5 years (if not having a colonoscopy) | ||
| Double Contrast Barium Enema (DCBE) | Every 5-10 years (if not having a colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy) | ||
| Colonoscopy | Every 10 years | ||
| Rectal exam | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Every 5-10 years with each screening (sigmoidoscopy, colonoscopy, or DCBE) |
| Eye and Ear Health: Eye exam |
Get your eyes checked if you have problems or visual changes. | Every 2-4 years | Every 2-4 years |
| Hearing test | Starting at age 18, then every 10 years | Every 10 years | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. |
| Skin Health: Mole exam | Monthly mole self-exam; by a doctor every 3 years, starting at age 20. | Monthly mole self-exam; by a doctor every year. | Monthly mole self-exam; by a doctor every year. |
| Oral Health: Dental exam | One to two times every year | One to two times every year | One to two times every year |
| Mental Health Screening | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. |
| Immunizations: Influenza vaccine | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Discuss with your doctor or nurse. | Yearly |
| Pneumococcal vaccine | |||
| Tetanus-Diphtheria Booster | Every 10 years | Every 10 years | Every 10 years |
Mens Health
- College Mens Health
- http://mensightmagazine.com/Library/collegemen.htm
- Medical College of Wisconsin Healthlink Topics: Mens Health
- http://healthlink.mcw.edu/mens-health/
- Mens Health
- http://www.imt.net/~randolfi/MensHealth.html
- Mens Health familydoctor.org
- http://familydoctor.org/men.xml
- Mens Health: Preventative Maintenance
- http://www.malehealthcenter.com/selfcare.html