Father’s Day is the one time of year we officially celebrate the men in our lives, telling them how much we love them and what they mean to us. Perhaps strategically planned for greater impact and focus, June is also Men’s Health Month.
According to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, men are 25 percent less likely than women to have visited a health care provider in the past year. Not surprisingly, they cite the biggest reason they visit a physician is because of their spouse’s insistence.
Thus, the biggest obstacle in men’s health is often the man himself. And, because men avoid doctors for reasons such as lack of time, being under-insured or the desire to “tough it out,” U.S. Centers of Disease Control (CDC) statistics say men are 1.5 times more likely than women to die from heart disease, cancer and respiratory diseases. Men also die, on average, five years earlier than women.
Heart disease and cancer account for 50 percent of all male deaths, with prostate, lung and colorectal cancers being the most deadly, according to a 2010 CDC report. But numbers, as shocking as they may be, only tell part of the story.
For Kelly Goodwin, statistical reminders came too late for her 42-year-old husband, Scott, who died in March 2013 after a grueling and aggressive 18-month-long battle with colon cancer.
“My husband was diagnosed at age 41. We were on vacation at Disney World with my family and he had constant diarrhea. He ignored the symptoms from April until August 2011. By August, he finally told me he needed to see a doctor,” Kelly explained.
Understanding Scott’s risk factors might have made a difference in his survival.
“After endless amounts of research, it became clear that we were uneducated about colon cancer and how preventable it is,” Kelly explained. “Scott’s father was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 52. The rule of thumb is to have a colonoscopy 10 years prior to your parent’ diagnosis. Scott should have had a colonoscopy at age 42. He died 5 months after his 42nd birthday.”
But she went on to explain that during the treatment process, through genetic testing, doctors discovered that Scott had Lynch Syndrome, which is a marker for colon cancer as well as ovarian and endometrial cancer.
“Our 8-year-old daughter now has a family history and she will be tested and screened at age 18,” Kelly said.
The Goodwins’ story gives credence to a message health care providers are quick to repeat – preventive measures are the best ally against a life-threatening illness.
Unfortunately, men are not only more likely to avoid going to the doctor when they are symptomatic, they’re also more likely to avoid well check-ups.
At the top of the life-threatening illness chart is heart disease, which increases the likelihood of heart attack or stroke. Strokes account for the fifth leading cause of death.
“Heart disease is the number one killer of all Americans,” said Madelyn Alexander, communications director of the St. Louis branch of the American Heart Association.
Her warning is dire, but she offered some consolation.
“We, all of us, can reduce heart disease by promoting a healthy diet and lifestyle. Getting information from credible sources can help you make smart choices that will benefit your long-term heart health,” she said.
Alexander touts “Life’s Simple 7” factors as the path to ideal cardiovascular health.
The “Simple 7” include refraining from smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, engaging in regular physical activity, eating a healthy diet, managing blood pressure, monitoring cholesterol levels and maintaining blood sugar, or glucose, at healthy levels.
With heart disease in the top spot, injuries, chronic lower respiratory diseases (COPD, chronic bronchitis and emphysema), diabetes, suicide, Alzheimer’s disease, kidney disease and influenza/pneumonia round out the top 10 causes of death in men.
With their health in mind, Father’s Day is the perfect time to remind our husbands, fathers and sons to schedule a well check-up or see a doctor about a health problem. It might just save their lives.