Real Men Wear
Gowns - And Help Their Health
By Carolyn M.
Clancy, M.D.
May 6, 2008
Spring brings out
the sports fan in many of us. Here in
Washington, D.C., spring brought us the opening
of a brand-new baseball stadium and the return
of people of all shapes and sizes running,
walking, and playing baseball around the
National Mall.
Whatever your
favorite form of exercise is, taking care of
yourself makes a big difference.
Beyond running
faster or boosting your batting average, there’s
another, more important reason why you need to
take better care of yourself: Your family and
loved ones depend on you and want you with them
for as long as possible. Taking care of yourself
will increase your chances of teaching your son
to ride a bike or walking your daughter down the
aisle on her wedding day.
That’s the theme
behind two new information campaigns that my
Agency, the Agency for Healthcare Research and
Quality, recently started with the Ad Council to
get men more involved in their health care. In
April, we began a campaign called "Real Men Wear
Gowns." It includes TV, radio, print, and Web
ads that urge men to learn which preventive
medical tests they need and when they need to
get them. And just this week, ESPN launched
similar ads with sports anchors from ESPN’s
SportsCenter and other shows.
Facts show that
men don’t visit the doctor as often as women,
even though men are more prone to serious
illnesses. Data from my Agency show that men are
25 percent less likely than women to have
visited a doctor in the past year. And men are
1.5 times more likely than women to die from
heart disease, cancer, and lung diseases.
Taking care of
your health is something that’s best left to
you, not your spouse or girlfriend. The women in
your life are busy making health decisions for
themselves, children, parents, and other
relatives. By taking steps to stay healthy, you
also can be a role model for your kids.
As our new ads
say, "real men" will take the extra steps to go
to the doctor, get the right medical tests for
their age and health status, and even put on a
flimsy exam gown if that’s what they need to do.
Men can lead
longer, healthier lives if they take steps to
prevent disease. To know which steps to follow,
visit
www.ahrq.gov/realmen. This site:
- Gives the
recommended ages for medical tests.
- Offers a
quiz about preventive health care.
- Provides
tips for talking with your doctor.
- Defines
health terms and gives links to sources for
more information.
The "Real Men
Wear Gowns" ads are part of my Agency’s ongoing
efforts to help patients become more involved in
decisions about their health care. AHRQ also
created ads to help prevent medical mistakes.
Called "Questions are the Answer," those ads
urge patients to create a list of questions
about their medical needs and to ask those
questions during medical appointments.
Spring is a great
time of year to take part in activities with
your family and loved ones. By becoming more
involved in your health, you’ll boost your
chances of enjoying many more seasons with them.
I’m Dr. Carolyn
Clancy, and that’s my opinion on how to navigate
the health care system.
AHRQ Resources
Real Men
Wear Gowns
http://www.ahrq.gov/realmen/
Questions
are the Answer
Get More Involved With Your Health Care
http://www.ahrq.gov/questionsaretheanswer/
Current as of May 2008
Internet Citation:
Real Men Wear GownsAnd Help Their Health.
Navigating the Health Care System: Advice
Columns from Dr. Carolyn Clancy, May 6, 2008.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality,
Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/cc/cc050608.htm
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