Men recall their first cars, but not their last checkup.
Men and cars go together like Thanksgiving and sweet potato pie. But men and medical checkups? Not so much, says a survey commissioned by Orlando Health. According to the survey of nearly 1,000 men 18 and older, more than 80 percent of men could remember the make and model of their first car, but only about 50 percent could remember the last time they went to the doctor.
The survey’s result are being released with the start of the Drive For Men’s Health, a cross-country event where two men’s health surgeons will travel 6,008 miles across the United States to promote awareness about various men’s health topics.
“Men need to take better care of themselves, period,” said Sijo Parekattil, M.D., co-founder of the the Drive for Men’s Health. “It’s a message we want to get to as many men as possible, and we’re willing to drive cross country to do it.”
Men tend to be sicker throughout their lives and die at a younger age than women, said Jamin Brahmbhatt, M.D., co-founder of the Drive for Men’s Health. In 1920, women outlived men by one year. Today, men die five years earlier. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say women are 100 percent more likely to visit their doctor for an annual checkup than men, though married men are more likely to do so than single men.
“Your body’s essentially like a car,” Dr. Brahmbhatt said. “You need to get checks done per recommendation, per guidelines every one year, five years, 10 years, whatever the guidelines are. The only difference between a car and your body is you only have one body.”
