It’s Men’s Health Week this week – a great time for men to pause and make sure they’re looking after their health and wellbeing. Dr Simon Willcock is a General Practioner, Clinical Director of the Macquarie University GP Clinic and Clinical Program Head, Primary Care, Wellbeing and Diagnostic for the Macquarie University Health Sciences Centre. Here he explains why it’s so important for men to stay in tune with their health.
We all know about the gaps that exist in health outcomes for different groups in our community. The intolerable gap between health outcomes for indigenous versus non-indigenous Australians has received significant and appropriate attention in recent years, and we also recognise that social disadvantage corresponds with poorer health.
Less well known is the ‘gender gap’ in health outcomes, with male life expectancy being significantly lower than that for women, and poorer outcomes for men in most health measures. A popular theory when I was in medical school was that men were genetically ‘programmed’ to wear out before their sisters due to the inherently defective nature of the Y chromosome that defines their gender. This ‘programmed to fail’ theory has now been debunked, with acknowledgement that the gender gap in health outcomes is largely an effect of social factors. These social factors include a failure to socialise men into preventive health paradigms from an early age, negative media messages about men (and in particular young men), poor access to gender appropriate health services and the cost of those services.
Men’s Health Week provides an opportunity to consider options for closing the gender gap in health outcomes. We know that preventive health activities and early intervention should a disease arise are far more effective than waiting until someone develops physical or functional manifestations of the disease.
For the younger men on campus there are clear evidence-based guidelines as to what you can do to lower your risk of health problems. At a stage of life when disease is uncommon, these guidelines focus on lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, alcohol and physical activity, but there are nonetheless important specific messages for young guys, including the value of sexual and mental health checks as well as testicular self-examination, since this is the age group when testicular cancer can present.
For those who like me are more at risk due to our age, an annual check is recommended to monitor parameters that can be associated with preventable and treatable diseases, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and a number of cancers.
If you have a car, do you get it serviced regularly? Or do you wait until something breaks before you take it to the mechanic? Your body is your most valuable possession. Treat it with the care it deserves, and it shouldn’t let you down.
The Macquarie University GP Clinic is available to Macquarie University students, staff and the general public. To make an appointment, call 9812 3944.
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Thanks everyone for your comments and input. We will take your feedback on board and review with relevant areas of the University and Health Sciences Centre as we continue to develop our future services.
We’re actually in the process of planning a Men’s Health Clinic at the moment so your suggestions are very timely. We plan to hold a focus group around this idea in a few weeks time so i’ll be in touch offline to see if you or any of your colleagues are interested in participating.
That’s an interesting comment James. I read this article and thought ‘great, why not take up the invitation’. I am one of those many men who tend to eschew GPs — the last time I went was probably 6-7 years ago. But now I’m at the age where I probably should go and get some ‘under the bonnet’ (blood pressure, cholesterol etc) work but inertia admittedly still prevails. Rather than forking out $$ up front and then having to do something to get reimbursed, could the university consider incentivising older male staff to actually go for a check-up? For example, trading off x hours of personal leave – sick or other as equivalent to the cost of a tune up at the GPs?
What about introducing a special 5 point health check for men to celebrate Men’s Health Week – bulked billed at the MQ GP Clinic as part of that and promoted to all staff and students. Something along the lines of 15 minutes to check 5 keys health risks (quick, simple and dependent on your demographic) – blood pressure, psa, testicular check, bowel kit, and the opportunity to discuss life style factors (smoking, drugs and alcohol, exercise, sexual health, depression etc).
A 5 point check to close the 5 year gender gap.
It is interesting that the Macquarie University GP Clinic no longer offers bulk billing services to staff – only to students and hospital staff – especially given the phrase “and the cost of those services” in this article. When the removal of bulk-billing was originally touted it was described as a “small fee” – but it’s not – their fees are now the same as most suburban non-bulk billing doctors. Economical and easily accessible health care was incentive for men to perhaps go to the doctors and get something minor or vague checked out. It seems University staff again bear the brunt economic measures.