Who has healthier goals, men or women?

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Findings from the Mayo Clinic National Health Check-Up survey shed light on whether men or women have set healthier goals for 2016 …

Setting healthier goals

“The Mayo Clinic National Health Check-Up takes a pulse on Americans’ health opinions and behaviours, from barriers to getting healthy to perceptions of aging, to help identify opportunities to educate and empower people to improve their health, (sic)” says John T. Wald, M.D., Medical Director for Public Affairs at Mayo Clinic.

“In this first survey, we’re also looking at ‘health by the decade’ to uncover differences as we age.”

The top health resolutions for 2016

When asked about their plans to improve their health in 2016, survey respondents’ top three answers in rank order were; “Eat a Healthier Diet” (74 percent), “Exercise More” (73 percent), and “Schedule an Annual Wellness Visit with Your Doctor” (66 percent).

Women set healthier goals

Women are more likely than men to say that they will do something to improve their health in 2016:

  • Eat a healthier diet (80 percent vs 67 percent)
  • Schedule an annual wellness visit with their doctor (70 percent vs 62 percent)
  • Get more sleep (67 percent vs 58 percent)
  • See their doctor to discuss symptoms they have been experiencing (62 percent vs 51 percent)
  • Take a nutritional supplement (63 percent vs 47 percent)
  • Schedule a milestone screening (56 percent vs 26 percent)

“While we know that women tend to be more proactive about their health, it’s concerning that so many fewer men say that they plan to schedule a milestone screening, such as a colonoscopy, in 2016,” said Dr. Wald. “Men need to prioritise screenings as well, because early detection of disease can help improve chances of survival. If they are of average risk, men should begin getting screened for colorectal and prostate cancer at age 50, and sooner if they are of above-average risk.”

Health-related conversations: By the decade

The Mayo Clinic National Health Check-Up revealed an evolution in health-related conversations with friends as we age:

  • 20s – Healthy meal options
  • 30s – Maintaining healthy weight, parents’ health issues
  • 40s – Maintaining healthy weight, children’s health issues
  • 50s to 80s – Their own health issues
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