Abstract
The purpose of this report is to demonstrate the reasons why men do not go to the doctor as often as they should, and discuss potential solutions to this problem. This discussion looks at the potential reasons why this gap exists, and suggests a number of ways that medical services can offset this gender difference to better protect men from disease. Factoring in issues of cost as well as the rates of gender-specific disease, it becomes clear that men visit the doctor significantly less often than their female peers, even controlling for outside factors. This lack of medical help is linked to detrimental health consequences for many men, including higher rates of death from preventable or treatable illnesses and problems. Recommendations for addressing this problem within the community will be addressed in this discussion, as will the reasons why men tend not to seek medical care, and how this problem can be alleviated.
Introduction
Current prevailing wisdom seems to suggests that men seek medical care at a might lower rate than women, even correcting for issues like pregnancy and pregnancy-related issues. As such, men often face very significant medical consequences as a result of their failure to seek regular medical care and participate in regular medical check-ups (Sandhu et al. 2009; Bertakis et al. 2009). Some research suggests that there is a very significant attitude difference between men and women in terms of health, and studies suggest that in the western world, men are much more embarrassed than women regarding the need to seek medical attention (NHS Press Office 2001; Geoghegan 2012). Men are less likely to seek preventative care, and thus are less likely to find medical problems early. The details of this problem are discussed in the findings section, and recommendations and conclusions established as well. Men often have problems with embarrassment, attitude, and insurance that keep them from going to the doctor.
Findings
Men seem to be embarrassed about going to the doctor, which is one of the reasons that they do not go very often (NHS Press Office 2001). Of course, young people tend to visit the doctor much less frequently than older people, regardless of gender; however, even controlling for age, men seek medical help—particularly preventative medical help. Men seem to think that going to the doctor is a waste of time, and they do not see it as a main priority in their lives. This lack of care can be devastating, especially when terminal illness like cancer goes undiscovered or untreated in younger people.
Research seems to suggest that men are getting better at utilizing health services, but women still use all types of health services, including phone-based services, more frequently than their male counterparts because men tend to be more worried about seeming weak. Some men seem to think that going to the doctor is a recognition of weakness, and will do anything to avoid being seen as weak—including avoiding the doctor (Bertakis et al., 2009). This can lead to long-term detrimental health consequences.
Figure 1. Doctor Visits (Geoghegan 2012).
Insurance is another problem that men experience. Less than 63% of American men under the age of 30 have visited a primary care physician in the past year. The most common cause cited by these men is lack of insurance, but if this were truly the case, the rates of uninsured women seeing the doctor would be the same—and women see the doctor much more frequently than men, even when they are uninsured (Sandhu et al., 2009). As such, it seems that men’s lack of insurance compounds their difficulty seeing a doctor, but it does not entirely explain the problem.
Conclusion
The problem of men failing to go to the doctor is quite a serious one, and it is pervasive in society. When people go to the doctor, they receive preventative care; this care helps keep people healthy for much longer, and ensures that they are not experiencing major issues that must be treated before it is too late. Men seem have an unwillingness to seek care even when something is wrong—embarrassment is one reason cited by a number of researchers—any illness they are experiencing can snowball out of control and can become terminal before the individual receives medical care (Geoghegan 2012). Men have higher mortality rates for heart disease, cancer, and stroke; however, women are treated for these diseases at a higher rate than men, and have a better long-term average prognosis, potentially because of the early recognition of these problems (NHS Press Office 2001).
Recommendations
Design programs to reduce embarrassment for men experiencing health problems.
Male embarrassment surrounding medical help and intervention seems to be the number one cause of men failing to go to the doctor when they need to go. Removing some of the stigma surrounding doctor’s visits, particularly for prostate and reproductive organ issues seems to be central to the development of a community plan for addressing the low rate of engagement of men with the medical system. Outreach programs for young people could be quite effective, and better education in schools regarding how to know when something is wrong and the importance of annual check-ups with a general practitioner are essential to improving the relationship of the male population and the medical community.
Make caring for health an affordable habit.
Research suggests that caring for one’s medical wellbeing is a habit that is formed in youth. Children of all ages are brought to the doctor with the same frequency, but there becomes a greater gap between the sexes in early adolescence, which stretches on into adulthood (NHS Press Office 2001). Eliminating this gap means teaching young men that it is necessary and important to see a doctor regularly, and eliminating the attitude that men should be too “strong” to see a medical professional about any potential concern they have. In addition, for younger men, health insurance needs to be seen as a priority rather than an option, so that these people have the opportunity to seek out the appropriate medical care.
Change insurance structures to encourage preventative care.
Men over the age of eighteen should be encouraged to have yearly health screenings for issues like blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer (News-Medical.net 2011). These screenings will be easier if they are taught to men as being expected from a young age. Starting new habits as an adult is difficult, especially if there is societal pressure to avoid embarrassment and engagement with the medical community. Good habits start in early childhood, and stretch on throughout the life of the individual—currently, women are taught better health habits than their male peers, and this shows in the health outcomes for men of all ages.
References
Bertakis, K.D., et al., 2009. The influence of gender on the doctor–patient interaction. Patient education and counseling, 76(3), pp.356-360.
Geoghegan, T. 2012. Why are men reluctant to seek medical help? BBC News. [online] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8154200.stm
NHS Press Office, 2001. Women more likely than men to visit the doctor, more likely to have annual exams. National Center for Health Statistics.
News-Medical.net. 2011. National survey finds women more likely to see doctor on regular basis than men. [online] Available at: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110609/National-survey-finds-women-more-likely-to-see-doctor-on-regular-basis-than-men.aspx [Accessed 2 Jul. 2016].
Redondo-Sendino, Á., Guallar-Castillón, P., Banegas, J. and Rodríguez-Artalejo, F., 2006. Gender differences in the utilization of health-care services among the older adult population of Spain. BMC public health, 6(1), p.1.
Sandhu, H., Adams, A., Singleton, L., Clark-Carter, D. and Kidd, J., 2009. The impact of gender dyads on doctor–patient communication: a systematic review. Patient education and counseling, 76(3), pp.348-355.
