Survey suggests men’s perception of their health may not match reality

Nearly half (49 percent) of men responding to an American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) survey rated their health as excellent or very good, but 48 percent said they’ve been diagnosed with a chronic condition, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or cancer.

Both of those figures stood at 42 percent in AAFP’s 2007 survey, leading the group to question whether men are really taking better care of themselves, or just believe that’s the case.

“The survey results are a mixed bag. We have some good and some bad," said AAFP President Wanda Filer, MD. "Essentially, the survey shows that not feeling sick is not necessarily the same as being healthy." 

Among the 916 men responded to the survey, there appeared to be some improvements in health behaviors compared the 2007 results. More men said they exercise regularly (52 percent in 2016 vs. 38 percent in 2007) and are spending less time in front a computer screen (an average of 20 hours per week in 2016 vs. 26 hours in 2007).

There were some mixed results when it came to seeking preventive care. More men said they have a regular doctor (79 percent in 2016 vs. 74 percent in 2007), but 59 percent said some sort of barrier prevents them from going to the doctor, most commonly “feeling they should be extremely sick to seek health care” (31 percent) or “feeling they had no reason to go to a doctor because they were healthy” (21 percent).

The kind of chronic conditions reported increased in two categories. 33 percent said they have high blood pressure up from 28 percent in 2007. Some 16 percent have been diagnosed with arthritis, up from 13 percent in 2007. Cancer diagnoses remained at 8 percent, and a slightly smaller percentage reported having heart disease, down to 7 percent from 8 percent in 2007.