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Most men do not think enough about their health. Only about half as many men as women have primary care physicians. Women are twice as likely as men to visit doctors regularly. That probably explains why women live on average six years longer than men, a gap which has steadily increased over the past several decades. In fact, men have a higher death rate than women for each of the top ten leading causes of death in this country.
Congress established Men’s Health Week in 1994. This week, which leads up to and includes Father’s Day, was created to raise awareness about men’s health issues and encourage men to become more active participants in their health and well-being. We have made some progress in these areas, though not nearly enough. I support the goals of Men’s Health Week because I believe it is critically important to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.
Unfortunately, too many men simply make poor health and lifestyle choices. We generally do not exercise enough. We eat too much of the wrong foods. We do not get enough sleep. And we fail to get regular medical check-ups. Consequently, 50 million men have high cholesterol, 29 million suffer from high blood pressure, and eight million have diabetes. Men are dying younger than they should and needlessly suffering from ailments that could be prevented or whose symptoms could be greatly minimized by taking simple common-sense steps.
I believe that Congress can and should encourage America’s men to take a more active role in their health care. Educating men, their families, and health care providers about the importance of the early detection of male health problems will save lives, improve men’s health, and close the life expectancy gap between men and women. I can think of no greater gift this Father’s Day than to encourage the men in your life to take their health more seriously.
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