Mens Health - Changing male attitudes to health to improve prognosis and outcomes
Released on 19th May 2015
Summary
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Men’s health refers to conditions that specifically affect males, or those that are not gender-specific but have different outcomes in men. Although still dominated by cardiovascular disease, men’s health is increasingly focusing on other conditions and the wellness of the man overall.
There are many different factors that impact on men’s health, making it a unique therapy area; these include biological, social, psychological and economic factors. In addition, men are exposed to a number of risk factors that make specific diseases and conditions more prevalent in the male population, such a behavioural risk and work-related risk factors. Lifestyle factors are also known to be at the root cause of many diseases and conditions that affect men, and while some changes can help reduce the overall risk, many men find it difficult to persist with these changes. Male behavior has historically been recognized as a major contributor to health issues, with men more likely to participate in risky activities, suffer from work-related health issues and have unhealthy lifestyles, particularly in relation to alcohol, smoking and diet. Men are also more reluctant to actively seek health advice and undertake treatment, due to a number of factors including social taboos, a perception that it is not manly to see the doctor, and a feeling that HCPs tend to be focused on women rather than men.
The sensitive nature of male-specific cancers mean many men tend to ignore symptoms, failing to self-examine and only presenting to physicians at a late stage. Prostate cancer is the most common male-specific cancer, with testicular and penile cancer being relatively uncommon. Prostate cancer has experienced advances in treatment in recent years, although unmet needs still exist with potential solutions being studied. Indeed, if...