Over the past 15-20 years, there’s been a trend in research to look at women’s health care needs.  It wasn’t so long ago that most studies were done on white males with the assumption that whatever affected them, must equally affect the rest of the population.  However, many people started questioning those assumptions.  After all, if one half the population never has to bear babies and go through menopause, how in the world can their bodies be the same as the other half?  Thus, new revelations about women’s health have started evolving.  But, where does that now leave the men?  

In the April 2007 University of California, Berkeley,Wellness Letter, there was an interesting article on the need to explore men’s health care needs more carefully.  It listed several health disparities that affect men worse than women such as:

• Men die younger than women.
• More men develop cancer at earlier ages, and die from it, than women.
• Men develop heart disease about 10 years earlier than women.
• Men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women.
• More than twice as many men die from injuries.
• Men are less likely to seek medical help or to recognize the value of altering their behaviors to reduce their risk of heart disease and cancer.

As with many human mysteries, there are no pat answers to these findings.  The article lists several theories as to what contributes to them: fetuses are more fragile than female fetuses, boy babies die more often than girl babies, and men and boys are more likely to engage in life-threatening activities.   

While many federal and state health agencies have offices on women’s health there are no such departments for men.  A bill currently before Congress would establish such an office to promote men’s health.

To show some of the ways the two genders react to the same health problem, take heart disease.  Recent developments in cardiac care have shown that more women die from heart disease than men, have different symptoms, and respond differently to treatment.  Aspirin therapy, for instance, helps prevent heart attacks in men, but is better at preventing strokes in women. 

On the other hand, depression, once thought to be a woman’s disease, also affects men, but they are less likely to seek treatment for it.  A recent study at the University of California, Davis, suggested that many men perceive depression as a stigma and may be more likely to express it via anger, rage, and risky behaviors.  Many men have also been taught that it is unmanly to show weakness in asking for help either medically, psychologically, or socially.   

Meanwhile, the renewed interest in men’s health has led to a plethora of health magazines and professional journals on the topic.  So listen up, guys, we need you around.  Take care of yourselves and become informed about what you can do to make the most of this life.  And have a Happy Father’s Day. 

Janet Wildeboor, RN, MS

Health Ministries Committee