Health in Men
A programme that focuses on men’s health was launched
last month. Health In Men (HIM) tries to increase the awareness of
health in a high-risk part of the population.
Men not only make up a high-risk group, but they also “do
health” badly.
At the launch of HIM, I saw a few firies, a couple of
“ambos” and a couple of police officers. They at least walked to the
launch and thereby showed they can keep fit on the job instead of driving to
everything.
I spoke to the police officers and said it really was
important that men took note of this health promotion topic. But it is a bit
sexist to talk about men’s health, because women need their issues dealt
with as well. On the other hand, it is actually, from a medical point of view,
important to talk about men’s health. Why? Because they “do
health” badly.
At any stage of life, the death rates for men are higher than
those of women. Even at birth, there are more male deaths than female. As
teenagers, males die more frequently than females because of suicide and
high-risk behaviour related to drinking, drugs and road crashes.
Men grow up feeling invincible because, as children, they only
ever saw a doctor on mother’s orders or when they needed a sick
certificate for work. Girls on the other hand have had to adjust to monthly
changes in their body and therefore learn the importance of regular checkups
for smears and contraception. Men are too busy having fun or establishing their
careers and earning money. Even if they have families, they feel the most
important thing is to earn money for their families.
Usually, men spend the years between 20 and 45 feeling
invincible. If there is a problem with their cholesterol or blood pressure,
they will have no signs. It is a bit like a hot water system with unfiltered
Murray River water. You don’t notice anything wrong when it is new but it
won’t last as long because the dirty water clogs up the pipes.
A man with high cholesterol will not notice anything when he
is young but, by the time he gets to 50, the arteries to his heart or brain
might be clogged and so cause his death from a heart attack or stroke. A man at
45 might have almost blocked arteries to his heart without knowing about it.
Smoking, high blood pressure or diabetes would make it worse. Apart from the
smoking, the other problems are silent.
Because men don’t go to their doctors, they often
won’t know about this until it is too late. Every one knows of the stories
of men who are supposed to be really fit, exercise regularly but drop dead at
50. The only way to stop this is to get a health check at a reasonably early
age. If only men did that, they might be able to pick up some of these problems
early.
New treatments now allow us to reverse some of these problems.
Definitely a wake-up call is needed for men. That is why the comparison is
obviously like a car. Good maintenance of a car gives a longer lasting vehicle.
A taxi well maintained does many more kilometres than a car without an oil
change. A man doing regular checks (and taking the treatment if needed) will
live longer than someone who does not know what he has to do to look after
himself.
Then there is the next problem. If men do know about a health
problem, they tend not to keep with the treatment. It has been shown that up to
66 per cent of all patients with high blood pressure or high cholesterol do not
take their treatment. Men are worse than women at taking their treatments,
making their risk even worse.
When men retire, they struggle to see the point of their
lives. Having dedicated themselves to their work, they identify with their
profession. If someone asks: “Who are you,” you can reply: “A
police officer.” Once you have retired and someone asks the same question,
the answer is: “I put the rubbish out,” or “I do what my wife
says.” The tragedy is that men can’t deal with the changes retirement
brings and so we see suicide rates higher in men than women.
If there is a message for men, it is to realize they can make
a difference to their health. Prevention is better than cure, just like good
maintenance of a car brings better mileage.
The next challenge is to make is socially acceptable for men
to admit their psychological and physical needs and encourage them to do
something about them. Better information, and then action, will give true
equality to men and women and, at the moment, men are falling behind.
I encourage men to attend the HIM lectures if they can. It is
an important start to an important subject.
