Canadian Health Network

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f you ask almost anyone who is more likely to get cancer or to commit suicide, the vast majority of people will say women. But the reality is that men lead women in 14 out of 15 leading causes of death. Not only are men 29 per cent more likely to get cancer, they are 52 per cent more likely to die from it.

Men's health researchers Dr. Don McCreary and Dr. Ross Gray surveyed 300 men and 300 women between the ages of 40 and 60 and discovered that both sexes believed that men died from prostate cancer and women died from breast cancer. In fact, the number one cancer killer of both sexes is lung cancer. "That's great marketing," says McCreary, co chair of the board of the Toronto Men's Health Network and an editor of the International Journal of Men's Health, "but it distorts the truth so they're not paying attention to the other symptoms."

The truth, in fact, is pretty astounding: men are 39 per cent more likely to die from diabetes than women, 55 per cent more likely to die from cancer, 64 per cent more likely to die from pneumonia and flu, 78 per cent more likely to die from heart disease, four times more likely to die from suicide, twice as likely to die from accidents and so on.

Why are men so vulnerable? One reason is that overall, men pay less attention to health information and healthy lifestyle than women. Indeed, men are more likely then women to smoke, more likely to drink more and to binge drink, more likely to have a poor diet, more likely to be overweight, less likely to wear sunscreen (but more likely to work outdoors) and less likely to make regular appointments with their doctors for check-ups. Where they are better off than women, McCreary adds, is that men report engaging in exercise more than women. But there's a drop-off, he adds: as men age, they exercise less-and they shouldn't.

Another reason why the statistics are so different is because of the way boys are socialized. "One of the biggest aspects of the male gender role is toughness, not displaying weakness," McCreary explains. "But also not being a woman, not being a girl." And it's a double-edged sword. Boys are taught to "take it like a man"; health problems are seen as a sign of weakness and, at the same time, taking risks with health is seen as being tough. Girls go to the doctor on a regular basis, and that's been socialized into them. The same is not true for boys. "The most likely cancer to kill men between the ages of 15 and 30 is testicular cancer, but most physicians don't talk to boys about doing a testicular self-examination," he adds.

Mental health issues among men, says McCreary, are understudied and underreported. Depression and anxiety are major issues, as is evidenced by the suicide numbers, yet many men don't want to see a doctor or therapist for help because depression is thought of as a 'woman's problem' and a sign of weakness. In light of this, the American Psychological Association and the National Institutes of Health recently launched a health promotion campaign targeted at men about depression. To learn more about men and depression, read one of this month's feature articles - Men's mental health: A silent crisis.

One of the keys to making long-term changes is to teach children proper health behaviour starting from a young age, McCreary adds, "normalizing good health and prevention without making it seem feminine or weak." While men may be different from women in many ways, the same health rules apply to both:

• Don't smoke
• Get regular exercise-and don't let it drop off as you age
• Take advantage of screenings available to you
• Eat a healthy diet
• Protect yourself from the sun
• Drink in moderation
• Maintain a healthy weight
• See your doctor regularly-particularly if you notice any change in your health