EDITORIAL: In the United States, men need to take better care of themselves

Even though anyone at any age can suffer a stroke, it was still a surprise last year when John Fetterman had one in the midst of his successful campaign to occupy one of Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seats. He seemed healthy enough, at least on the surface, and he was only 52 at the time.
It was revealed shortly after that Fetterman had been diagnosed with an irregular heart rhythm in 2017, and it caused the stroke. What was perhaps even more surprising than the stroke itself was the revelation that Fetterman had ignored his doctor’s advice following the diagnosis, did not take the medication he was prescribed and did not see a doctor in the five years that followed.
“I avoided going to the doctor,” Fetterman said in a statement. “As my doctor said, I should have taken my health more seriously.”
Fetterman is, alas, not alone in his doctor avoidance. A survey put together by the Cleveland Clinic in 2019 found that only half of men believed that getting an annual checkup was an important part of staying healthy. The survey also found that 77% would rather go shopping with their wife or partner than go to the doctor, and 72% would rather take care of household chores. Thirty-six percent said they avoided the doctor’s office because they didn’t want to be scolded to change their lifestyle or diet, and 37% said they were afraid a doctor would uncover a worrisome health issue in the course of the visit.
Then, there are some cultural factors – being in a doctor’s office can make you feel vulnerable, particularly if you have to wear one of those paper gowns, and some men have been taught to maintain a certain stoicism about their health. The Cleveland Clinic survey found that 41% of men were told not to complain about their health when they were children. Men can also be more prone to risk-taking behavior than women.
The unavoidable reality, too, is that some men can’t afford checkups because they do not have health insurance to cover the costs. Without insurance, a doctor’s visit can cost anywhere from $300 to $600.
Father’s Day is this Sunday and June is Men’s Health Month. There are, of course, everyday things men can do to improve their health, like exercising, watching what they eat, avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption and not engaging in risky behaviors like roaring around town on a motorcycle without a helmet. Encouraging men to be mindful of their health would pay dividends for American society as a whole – a study by the American Journal of Men’s Health found that premature mortality and morbidity in men costs the U.S. economy more than $400 billion every year.
Right now, male life expectancy in the United States is 73 years. In peer countries like Australia and Canada, it’s a little over 80, and it’s even higher in such countries as Algeria, Thailand, China and Albania. During Men’s Health Month, we should make it a goal to do better.