Guys: please, catch up! While men and women are living longer today than they did a century ago, women continue to outpace men. Decade after decade, the gap widens. In I920, women lived, on average, one year longer than men. Today, women, on average, live almost six years longer than men. Whether it’s heart disease, cancer, stroke – men die at higher rates from every one of the top 10 causes of death than women according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Almost twice as many men as women die of ischemic heart disease. Fifty percent more men than women die of cancer. And, this is not just a problem for octogenarians. At every age, men and boys are at greater risk of death than women and girls. With the dramatic advances in medicine and healthcare over the past 100 years, why are men at such high risk? It doesn’t make sense until you learn the rest of the story.

Once again, according to the CDC, men go to one-half as many physician visits for annual examinations and preventive services as do women. Could there be a direct correlation? Of course!

Willis-Knighton doctors, including Joseph C. Jones, M.D., of Tri-State Medical Clinic in Shreveport, Scott Mighell, M.D., of Louisiana Family Practice and Rhett F. McLaren, M.D., of Bossier Pediatric Partners in Bossier City, want men in our community to take the steps needed to live a long, healthy life. “Men are not taking care of themselves. They are more likely to do preventive maintenance on their car than on themselves,” Dr. Mighell says.

Dr. Jones agrees. “Men – especially men of color – live shorter, less healthy lives than women, but it doesn’t have to be that way.”

Many women have annual gynecological visits starting when they are teenagers. Such visits make engagement with the healthcare system routine and provide a basis for regular care.

There is no equivalent process for men and it shows. Ironically, during the exact time men are least likely to be receiving care, diseases often strike. Testicular cancer, for example, is the most common cancer among men ages 15 to 34.

June is Men’s Health Month. This month, family practice physicians and specialists throughout Willis-Knighton Health System are encouraging men and boys to seek regular medical checkups and early treatment for disease and injury.

Dr. McLaren believes it is possible to raise boys to become health-conscious men. “It’s time to do more to prevent the ‘drift away’ from care that typically happens as young men transition from adolescence to adulthood. It never is too early for pediatricians and parents to begin conversations with boys about the importance of taking charge of their own health. The annual check-up is a big part of this.”

Guys: To prevent illnesses and ensure you’ll be around longer, take a couple of hours out of your routine this June and go get checked out.