June is Men’s Health Month; a time to raise awareness of preventable health problems and promote early detection and treatment of disease by encouraging men to seek regular medical advice and put healthy lifestyle habits into play to improve their overall health and wellbeing. When compared to men, women tend to visit the doctor more often and are much more likely to have a yearly preventive exam to screen for cancer and other diseases.
Fast Facts about Men’s Health from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Women are much more likely to visit the doctor for annual exams and preventative exams to screen for cancer and other diseases than men
- Over 30 million men suffer from prostate conditions that impact their quality of life.
- Prostate cancer is the leading cancer for men in the US. It is followed by lung cancer and then colorectal cancer.1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men in the US, attributing to 1 in every 4 deaths
- 6% of men ages 20 and older suffer from obesity
- 5% of men ages18 and older have hypertension
- Only 28.3% of men in the US actually meet the federal physical activity guidelines for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity.
Men are affected by the same diseases that can affect anyone—cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and mental health issues… But there are also diseases that affect only men such as prostate cancer, benign prostate enlargement, and testicular cancer. Prostate and testicular cancers are two common cancers affecting men. Both can be treated with a relatively high success rate if caught early with minimally invasive exams during a yearly check-up. Yearly preventive exams can also help to detect the onset of common illnesses that can affect both genders such as heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Screening tests can find diseases early, when they are easier to treat.
Do you know your important numbers such as blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and body mass index? When was the last time you had your blood pressure checked? Many times, people can be shocked when told they have high blood pressure because it often doesn’t have any symptoms. Preventive care can reduce the risk for diseases, disabilities, and even death. Hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease are often called “silent killers” because their symptoms can go unnoticed until they are in advanced stages.
As part of our driver wellness platform, we have also partnered with Higi, which has health check stations located all over the US and even in some of your terminals! The Rolling Strong App can connect to the Higi station and captured the results as part of our Health Assessments section and allow you to maintain an ongoing record of your visits.
Adopting healthy lifestyle habits can drastically decrease your risk for disease. Here at Rolling Strong, we like to focus on the five pillars of wellness, things that you can control such as sleep, fitness, nutrition, hydration, and mental wellbeing to help you achieve your own personal optimal health. Our health coaches are available to help you reach your health and wellness goals and create healthy lifestyle habits that can reduce your risk of chronic illness.
We are here to help you live your healthiest life!
You change the batteries in your smoke detectors every 6 months, you change the oil on your car every 3,000 miles, and perform regular maintenance on your trucks, but when was the last time YOU had a check-up?
By: Coach Cortney Blumer, MS, BS
Rolling Strong Wellness Coach
https://www.health.harvard.edu/topics/mens-health Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, Men’s Health
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/mens-health.htm National Center for Health Statistics, Men’s Health (Last reviewed 5/2/24)