Encouraging Men to Receive Preventive Health Screenings

A new campaign was launched in April 2008 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and The Advertising Council to increase awareness about the importance of preventive health screenings. The goal of the campaign is to encourage men over the age of 40 to learn which preventive screening tests they need and when they need them. The ads are light-hearted and advocate that being a real man means taking care of your health for your future and for your family.

AHRQ's "Real Men" website (www.ahrq.gov/realmen) provides a list of preventive medical tests and the recommended ages for each, a quiz to determine your preventive health knowledge, tips for talking to your doctor, a glossary of consumer health terms, and more online resources.

Men's health is being targeted because¹:

• Men are 25% less likely than women to have visited a doctor in the last year.
• Men are 38% more likely than women to have neglected their cholesterol tests.
• Men are 1.5 times more likely than women to die from heart disease, cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases.
• One in 5 American men has heart disease.²
• Three in 4 American men are overweight.²

The Costs

• The cost of cardiovascular diseases and stroke in the United States in 2008 is estimated to be $448.5 billion.³
• In 2007 the overall costs of cancer totaled to $219.2 billion⁴:
  • $89.0 billion for direct medical costs
  • $18.2 billion for indirect morbidity costs (cost of lost productivity due to illness)
  • $112.0 billion for indirect mortality costs (cost of lost productivity due to premature death).

Employer Solutions

• June is Men's Health Month; create your own awareness campaign though company website portals, newsletters, brown-bag lunches, and pamphlets utilizing free information about men's health from the AHRQ and the Centers for Disease Control websites.
• As part of a comprehensive approach to improve overall health, provide yearly preventive care visits and screenings at no cost to beneficiaries.

Resources:

References:

1. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. AHRQ and Ad Council Encourage Men To Take Preventive Steps in Their Health Care. Available at: http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2008/realmenpr.htm. Accessed May 12, 2008.
2. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Real Men Know The Facts. Available at: http://www.ahrq.gov/realmen/. Accessed May 12, 2008.
3. American Heart Association. Cardiovascular Disease Cost. Available at: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4475. Accessed May 12, 2008.
4. American Cancer Society. Cancer Facts and Figures 2008. Available at: http://www.cancer.org/downloads/STT/2008CAFFfinalsecured.pdf. Accessed May 12, 2008.