Men's Health - Lets Nail It

- Men’s Health Week 2010

15 June 2010

Men’s Health is a topic many males struggle with, says the Director of Army Medicine, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Dunn.

“A lot of this comes down to a pride or an indestructible attitude towards their health, but this can be detrimental in many ways,” LTCOL Dunn says.

Men feature more highly in adverse health statistics than women. They live on average four years less than women, dominate suicide statistics, and are over-represented in poor mental health statistics. More men than women get diagnosed with cancer, and more men die from it.

For Maori men, the statistics tell an even worse story. Twice the rate of Maori are dying than non-Maori.

Even when feeling healthy, a simple yearly visit to your General Practitioner (GP) can most often improve your lifestyle and often your life, says LTCOL Dunn.

“Start making friends with your GP.” Men’s Health Week (from 14–18 June) provides an opportunity to increase awareness of important male-specific health issues. It celebrates the contribution men make to family, work and the community, but reminds us that men don’t need to ‘tough it out’ or ‘go it alone’, and they shouldn’t. “It is about striking a balance and encouraging men to take control of all issues relating to physical, mental and sexual health,” says LTCOL Dunn.

“So start getting an annual warrant of fitness. We do it for our cars, but not our bodies.” In the Defence Force, there are some great examples of men maintaining good health. Staying ‘fighting fit’ is an area that the Defence Force does particularly well. But there also many instances of soldiers mistreating their health.

For example, the Director Defence Dental Services, Colonel Andrew Gray says dental and oral health has deteriorated in Army and this is a simple area that soldiers themselves can take responsibility for. Soldiers must ensure they brush their teeth daily and cut down their sugar intake.

Rehabilitation rates at Linton are also well down.

LTCOL Dunn says there are some practical tips that can do to make sure Army personnel are looking after themselves.

1. Share your family history with your GP

Sharing your family history will give your GP gives a greater understanding of your health risks and the ability to properly monitor your health. Monitoring your health regularly gives you a much better chance of catching any health issues early and the best chance at surviving potentially life threatening illness.

2. Know your healthy weight

The risk of many health issues including heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressures, some cancers, osteoarthritis, etc are all greatly increased if you’re overweight. Being overweight is also linked to psychological disorders and social problems. Obesity is a growing problem with up to 60% of New Zealand men considered overweight or obese according to their body mass index.

3. Measure your pressure

Twenty percent of New Zealanders have high blood pressure and don’t know it. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease and renal failure. Major causes of high blood pressure include being overweight, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, dietary salt intake and nutrition patterns which involve low intake of fruits and vegetables and high intake of saturated fat.

4. Stop smoking

Smoking causes 40% of deaths in men who are aged under 65 and is responsible for causing up to 25 different diseases. It is recognised that your risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and a range of cancers and other diseases is greatly increased if you’re a smoker.

Quitting is the only healthy option.

The body has an amazing ability to recover from the effects of smoking after you quit. After 24 hours the carbon monoxide in your blood will have dropped dramatically and all the nicotine will have been metabolized. Within a year of quitting the risk of coronary heart disease is halved and after 10–15 years of not smoking your risk of disease will be the same as those who have never smoked. There are a number of services available for those who want to quit—speak to your GP or call Quitline for help.

5. Maintain a healthy mind and a healthy body

Depression is the most common cause of suicide. Males have a significantly higher rate of death by suicide than females with a rate of 18.5 deaths per 100,000 compared to the female rate of 6.3 deaths per 100,000.

Recognising the symptoms of depression in yourself and others can be the first step to beating it. Symptoms include tiredness, irritability, sleep disturbance, and loss of interest in work or other activities.

Men are less likely to seek help when they’re feeling down. It’s imperative you talk to someone if you’re not feeling right—there are services out there to help you or you can chat to your GP.