Being a Healthy Father
A Prescription for Men's Health
- Prostate Cancer Screening: Talk to your doctor about your risk for prostate cancer. A prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test or digital rectal examination (DRE) can provide early detection of prostate cancer.
- Cholesterol Checks: Have your cholesterol checked at least every 5 years, starting at age 35. If you smoke, have diabetes, or if heart disease runs in your family, start having your cholesterol checked at age 20.
- Blood Pressure: Have your blood pressure checked at least every 2 years.
- Colorectal Cancer Tests: Begin regular screening for colorectal cancer starting at age 50. Your doctor can help you decide which test is right for you. How often you need to be tested will depend on which test you have.
- Diabetes Tests: Have a test to screen for diabetes if you have high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
- Depression: If you've felt "down," sad, or hopeless, and have felt little interest or pleasure in doing things for 2 weeks straight, talk to your doctor about whether he or she can screen you for depression.
- Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Talk to your doctor to see whether you should be screened for sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV.
A significant percentage of the 8.7 million Kaiser members are men, many of whom happen to be fathers. There are many health issues and proactive things men should consider because the choices we make about our health today impact our abilities as fathers tomorrow.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2003, just over one million American men died. Nearly 80 percent of them died of heart disease or one of the nine other leading causes of death among American men such as cancer, unintentional injuries, stroke, diabetes, suicide, kidney disease, and others. And recent statistics show men are at a higher risk of death than women in most of these categories. As a result, the average American man lives 5.3 fewer years than the average woman.
Fulfill your role as a father and keep yourself healthy.
Men are statistically more prone to neglect their health, and often need to be encouraged to learn more about taking better care of their health. Men are more at risk in just about every health category than women, and when you consider race and different ethnic groups, the picture only gets worse.
Kaiser Permanente has been ahead of the pack in launching preventative health programs. Kaiser members can get health screenings as well as wellness information on nutrition, smoking cessation, stress reduction, heart health, and more. We also offer highly effective prostate cancer screenings and support groups. If you don't know where to start, a good place is right here at Kaiser Santa Rosa. Set up an appointment with your physician to learn more about your health.
Of course, you don't have to wait until Men's Health Week or Father's Day to think about taking better care of yourselves. The numbers speak for themselves. Fathers can help to reduce the number of wrong turns their children make, especially in the area of health and well being , by learning to take care of their health and going to get regular checkups.