Men: Stay Healthy at
Any Age
Your Checklist for
Health
What can you do to
stay healthy and prevent
disease? You can get
certain screening tests,
take preventive medicine
if you need it, and
practice healthy
behaviors.
Top health experts
from the U.S. Preventive
Services Task Force
suggest that when you go
for your next checkup,
you should talk to your
doctor or nurse about
how you can stay healthy
no matter what your age.
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The most important
things you can do to
stay healthy are:
- Get recommended
screening tests.
- Be tobacco free.
- Be physically
active.
- Eat a healthy
diet.
- Stay at a
healthy weight.
- Take preventive
medicines if you
need them.
Screening Tests for
Men: What You Need and
When
Screening tests can
find diseases early when
they are easier to
treat. Health experts
from the U.S. Preventive
Services Task Force have
made recommendations,
based on scientific
evidence, about testing
for the conditions
below. Talk to your
doctor about which ones
apply to you and when
and how often you should
be tested.
- Obesity:
Have your body mass
index (BMI)
calculated to screen
for obesity. (BMI is
a measure of body
fat based on height
and weight.) You can
also find your own
BMI with the BMI
calculator from the
National Heart,
Lung, and Blood
Institute at:
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/.
- High
Cholesterol:
Have your
cholesterol checked
regularly starting
at age 35. If you
are younger than 35,
talk to your doctor
about whether to
have your
cholesterol checked
if:
- You have
diabetes.
- You have
high blood
pressure.
- Heart
disease runs in
your family.
- You smoke.
- High
Blood Pressure:
Have your blood
pressure checked at
least every 2 years.
High blood pressure
is 140/90 or higher.
-
Colorectal Cancer:
Have a test for
colorectal cancer
starting at age 50.
Your doctor can help
you decide which
test is right for
you. If you have a
family history of
colorectal cancer,
you may need to be
screened earlier.
-
Diabetes:
Have a test for
diabetes if you have
high blood pressure
or high cholesterol.
-
Depression:
Your emotional
health is as
important as your
physical health. If
you have felt
"down," sad, or
hopeless over the
last 2 weeks or have
felt little interest
or pleasure in doing
things, you may be
depressed. Talk to
your doctor about
being screened for
depression.
- Sexually
Transmitted
Infections:
Talk to your doctor
to see whether you
should be tested for
gonorrhea, syphilis,
chlamydia, or other
sexually transmitted
infections.
- HIV:
Talk to your doctor
about HIV screening
if you:
- Have had sex
with men since
1975.
- Have had
unprotected sex
with multiple
partners.
- Have used or
now use
injection drugs.
- Exchange sex
for money or
drugs or have
sex partners who
do.
- Have past or
present sex
partners who are
HIV-infected,
are bisexual, or
use injection
drugs.
- Are being
treated for
sexually
transmitted
diseases.
- Had a blood
transfusion
between 1978 and
1985.
-
Abdominal Aortic
Aneurysm.
If you are between
the ages of 65 and
75 and have ever
smoked (100 or more
cigarettes during
your lifetime), you
need to be screened
once for abdominal
aortic aneurysm,
which is an
abnormally large or
swollen blood vessel
in your abdomen.
Daily Steps to
Health
Don't Smoke.
If you do smoke, talk to
your doctor about
quitting. Your doctor or
nurse can help you. And,
you can also help
yourself. For tips on
how to quit, go to: You
Can Quit Smoking Now.
http://www.smokefree.gov.
To talk to someone about
how to quit, call the
National Quitline:
1-800-QUITNOW. For more
quit-smoking resources,
go to:
http://www.healthfinder.gov/,
and search for
"smoking."
Be Physically
Active. Walking
briskly, mowing the
lawn, dancing, swimming,
and bicycling are just a
few examples of moderate
physical activity. If
you are not already
physically active, start
small and work up to 30
minutes or more of
moderate physical
activity most days of
the week.
Eat a Healthy
Diet. Emphasize
fruits, vegetables,
whole grains, and
fat-free or low-fat milk
and milk products;
include lean meats,
poultry, fish, beans,
eggs, and nuts; and eat
foods low in saturated
fats, trans fats,
cholesterol, salt
(sodium), and added
sugars.
Stay at a
Healthy Weight.
Balance calories from
foods and beverages with
calories you burn off by
your activities. To
prevent gradual weight
gain over time, make
small decreases in food
and beverage calories
and increase physical
activity.
Drink Alcohol
Only in Moderation.
If you drink alcohol,
have no more than two
drinks a day. (A
standard drink is one
12-ounce bottle of beer
or wine cooler, one
5-ounce glass of wine,
or 1.5 ounces of
80-proof distilled
spirits.)
Should You Take
Medicines to Prevent
Disease?
- Aspirin:
Ask your doctor
about taking aspirin
to prevent heart
disease if you are:
- Older than
45
- Younger than
45 and:
- Have
high blood
pressure.
- Have
high
cholesterol.
- Have
diabetes.
- Smoke.
-
Immunizations:
Stay up-to-date with
your immunizations:
- Have a flu
shot every year
starting at age
50. If you are
younger than 50,
ask your doctor
whether you need
a flu shot.
- Have a
pneumonia shot
once after you
turn 65. If you
are younger, ask
your doctor
whether you need
a pneumonia
shot.
The Centers for
Disease Control and
Prevention provide more
information on
immunizations at:
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/recs/adult-schedule.htm.
Screening Test
Checklist
Take this checklist
with you to your
doctor's office. Write
down when you have any
of the tests below. Talk
to your doctor about
your test results and
write them down here.
Ask when you should have
the test next. Write
down the month and year.
If you think of
questions for the
doctor, write them down
and bring them to your
next visit.
|
Test |
Last Test
(mo/yr) |
Results |
Next Test Due
(mo/yr) |
Questions for
the Doctor |
Weight
(BMI) |
|
|
|
|
Cholesterol
Total: |
|
|
|
|
HDL
(good): |
|
|
|
|
LDL
(bad): |
|
|
|
|
|
Blood pressure |
|
|
|
|
|
Colorectal
cancer |
|
|
|
|
|
Diabetes |
|
|
|
|
|
Sexually
transmitted
diseases |
|
|
|
|
|
HIV infection |
|
|
|
|
Abdominal aortic
aneurysm
(one-time test) |
|
|
|
|
More Information
For more information
on staying healthy,
order the following free
publications from the
Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality.
Call the AHRQ
Publications
Clearinghouse at
1-800-358-9295, or send
an E-mail to:
ahrqpubs@ahrq.hhs.gov.
| The
information in
this fact sheet
is based on
research
findings from
the U.S.
Department of
Health and Human
Services (HHS)
and the
U.S. Preventive
Services Task
Force (USPSTF).
The USPSTF is
the leading
independent
panel of experts
in prevention
and primary
care. The Task
Force, which is
supported by
AHRQ, conducts
rigorous,
impartial
assessments of
the scientific
evidence for the
effectiveness of
a broad range of
clinical
preventive
services,
including
screening,
counseling, and
preventive
medications. Its
recommendations
are considered
the gold
standard for
clinical
preventive
services.
Put Prevention
Into Practice
(PPIP), part of
the AHRQ
Dissemination
and
Implementation
Program, is
designed to
increase the
appropriate use
of clinical
preventive
services, such
as screening
tests,
preventive
medications, and
counseling.
Based on the
recommendations
of the USPSTF
and Government
agencies such as
the Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention,
Put Prevention
Into Practice
tools and
resources help
clinicians
determine which
preventive
services their
patients should
receive and make
it easier for
patients to
participate in,
understand, and
keep track of
their preventive
care.
For more
information
about USPSTF
recommendations
and Put
Prevention Into
Practice, go to
the Agency for
Healthcare
Research and
Quality Web site
at:
http://www.preventiveservices.ahrq.gov. |
U.S.
Department of Health and
Human Services
Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality
AHRQ Publication No.
07-IP006-A
Replaces AHRQ
Publication No.
APPIP03-0011
February 2007
