June is observed as Men’s Health Month. The month involves the awareness programme by healthcare and other educators about preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.
There’s a culture and also media driven expectation for men to be strong and, like superheroes, rarely show signs of weakness. This socially-ingrained mindset subconsciously trains men to believe that going to the doctor exhibits weakness.
According to a survey conducted by the Cleveland Clinic, 40 percent of men go to the doctor only when they have a serious health issue, and never go for routine checkups. This number is far lower than women’s frequency of doctor visits.
Unknown facts associated with Men’s Health:
- According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 2 men are diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime compared to 1 in 3 women.
- The median age of breast cancer diagnosis in men is 68, as per Komen Foundation.
- Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in young men aged 15 – 34 years.
- Inactive men are 60% more likely to suffer from depression, which is why regular physical activity is so important for everyone, especially men.
- Men are nearly three times more likely than women to abuse alcohol and twice as likely to abuse recreational drugs like marijuana and cocaine.
- According to the CDC, men have a 1-in-54 chance of developing autism spectrum disorders, while women have a 1-in-252 chance.
- Diabetes is 1.2 times more common among Asian American men, as per the Office of Minority Health.
- Erectile Dysfunction (ED) is when it is hard to get or keep an erection that’s firm enough for sex. ED affects as many as 30 million men.
- Men are roughly 20 times more likely to be colorblind than women.
- Back injuries are the second biggest cause of all disability claims in men.
- Boys are approximately three times more likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than girls are.
