This Father’s Day, give the men in your life the gift of better health by encouraging them to follow preventive care guidelines for screenings and checkups. National Men’s Health Week is June 10 to 16 when the Men’s Health Network offers “health care providers, public policy makers, the media and individuals an opportunity to encourage men and boys to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury.”
Fewer men than women visited a primary-care physician for a basic wellness visit in recent years, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most recent statistics show 82.3 percent of women and 72.9 percent of men reporting a wellness visit during 2022. The difference in rates of men versus women seeing their doctor is consistent for the past five years.
“According to data from the CDC, men are most likely to die from heart disease, cancer – prostate is the most common in men – and accidents," says Dr. Christian Verry of Mercy Clinic Family Medicine. “Looking further at this data of male versus female, men are much more likely to have coronary artery disease and heart attack. Men are also more likely to use e-cigarettes or smoke traditional cigarettes, both having clear health implications.”
People are also reading…
![Senior friends walking in public park](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/laduenews.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/3/75/375ec09a-24ea-11ef-93f3-ab68ddd11a3a/666333e82ca57.image.jpg?resize=1763%2C1175 2008w)
Photo by Getty Images
Everyone should visit their primary-care physician for a checkup and to establish a future screening schedule based on individual health concerns and family history. “The first preventative screening that is usually done is a cholesterol panel at age 40, sometimes younger,” Verry says. “This helps your primary-care doctor to assess your 10-year risk for heart disease. After that, you will be advised to have a colon cancer screening done at age 45, maybe sooner if you have an at-risk family history. Later in life you will be advised to have a PSA level done to screen for prostate cancer.” Wellness visits also include discussion of mental health concerns, other health risks and subsequent additional tests or screenings as needed.
Regardless of gender, all individuals should be encouraged to manage their health through preventive care, and there are several ways to achieve this, Verry notes. First, annual wellness visits and preventive screenings should be available at no cost, he says. “Remove the financial barriers and we will find more preventable disease. The earlier we find these diseases the better the outcomes for our patients.” He also supports expanding Medicaid to help reduce the costs of chronic or serious illness due to an inability to obtain an early diagnosis or mitigate a potential health problem.
To stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible, Verry offers the following prescription for all his patients: Don’t smoke, limit alcohol consumption, exercise every day (or at least 150 minutes per week), and eat a moderate diet of vegetables, lean protein and whole grains. “That’s it!” he says. "It really is that simple."
Mercy Clinic Family Medicine – Olive-Mason, 12680 Olive Blvd., Suite 300, St. Louis, 314-251-8888, mercy.net