News, Consumer Health: Public Service Announcement… Real Men wear Gowns

Here are some facts that are not amusing:

” Men are 25 percent less likely than women to have visited the doctor within the past year and are 38 percent more likely than women to have neglected their cholesterol tests. (Source: AHRQ Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 2005). Furthermore, men are 1.5 times more likely than women to die from heart disease, cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2005). “

” The new campaign encourages men over 40 to learn which preventive screening tests they need to get and when they need to get them. This campaign complements AHRQ’s existing efforts toward improving the safety and quality of health care and promoting patient involvement in their own health care, including the “Questions are the Answer” campaign launched with the Ad Council in March 2007 and the “Superheroes” Spanish-language campaign launched in March 2008. “

Quote from The Ad Council website – Press Release dated April 21 2008, announcing new national ad campaign designed to raise awareness among middle-aged men about the importance of preventive medical testing.

Watch these two very brief public service announcements from Agency for Health Care Research & Quality and the Ad Council about How Real Men Wear Gowns.

What a great idea to raise public health awareness of the importance of regular health screening. If humor will get you into the doctor’s office for an annual physical – go with it. Funny!

http://www.ahrq.gov/realmen/videos/MenInGowns_15_captions.wmv

http://www.ahrq.gov/realmen/videos/MenInGowns_30_captions.wmv