A new survey by Cleveland Clinic highlights a disconnect between men’s perception of their health and their actual health habits. The survey, which was taken earlier this year by a national sample consisting of 1,000 U.S. males, 18 years of age and older, was issued as part of Cleveland Clinic’s eighth annual educational campaign, MENtion It®.
This year, the survey included a sample of men in Florida. The campaign aims to address the fact that men often do not mention health issues or take steps to prevent them.
In the survey, 85% of men in Florida said they believe they are leading a healthy lifestyle. However, the survey results show the habits and behaviors of many men tell a different story.
- Almost half of men in Florida (43%) do not get a yearly physical
- 42% do not take care of their mental health
- Only half of men said they keep a healthy diet (50%)
- 83% have experienced stress in the last six months
- Half (51%) of men declare spending between 1-2h/day on social platforms, and 17% say they scroll through social media for more than 5h daily.
The survey findings point to stress being a common factor among men. However, 60% of men in Florida said they are hesitant to seek professional help for mental health concerns such as stress, anxiety and depression. Like national findings, Money/Finances is the #1 top stress factor affecting men in Florida, indicated by 38%.
The survey also indicates that about one in three men living in Florida admit to experiencingissues having sex, but many do not seek professional help.Stress is the most mentioned factor that can impact sexual health (68%). Excessive weight (59%) and age (58%) follow.
Social media habits may also contribute to stress with almost one fifth (17%) of men in Florida saying they spend five hours per day on average scrolling through social media.
“Through this campaign, we hope to encourage men to be proactive with regular screenings,” said Matthew Goldman, MD, Family Health Physician at Cleveland Clinic Weston Hospital. “Unfortunately, many men do not make their health a priority until they have a health scare or a major issue. Preventative screenings allow us to identify problems during the early stages when treatment is likely to result in positive outcomes.”
Additional findings:
Men are divided when it comes to satisfaction with their weight, yet many have unhealthy lifestyle behaviors.
- 50% of Florida residents are not satisfied with their current weight, another half is happy with it.
- 46% declare they are actively working on achieving their goal weight.
- One-third (32%) of men living in Florida watch TV for more than 5h/day on average.
- Prostate cancer screening is the most common among Florida men, with 57% having had a screening before. This is followed by colorectal cancer screenings (47%), skin cancer (48%), testicular cancer (43%) and bladder cancer (38%).
- One-third (36%) of men have either never performed a self-exam for testicular cancer or are not sure if they have.
While most Florida residents check their skin for cancer, they rarely use sunscreen on daily basis.
- Two-thirds (68%) of men in Florida have performed skin self-examination.
- However, 80% do not use sunscreen on daily basis.
Visit www.clevelandclinic.org/MENtionIt for more information about men’s health and important preventive steps every man can take.
Methodology
Findings from an online survey conducted among a national sample consisting of 1,000 American males, 18 years of age and older, living in the continental United States completed between June 1st and June 13th in partnership with Savanta.
The total male sample surveyed was nationally representative based on age, gender, ethnicity, region, urban vs. rural, household income, and educational attainment census data. The margin of error for the total sample at the 95% confidence level is +/- 3.1 percentage points.
Additionally, oversamples were collected across generations, minority race/ethnicities, and Florida residents. The final sample sizes for these segments including the oversamples are: Adult Gen Z (18–25): n=309; Millennials (26-41): n=441; Gen X (42-57): n=354; Boomers+ (58+): n=437; African Americans: n=278; Hispanics: n=295; Asian Americans: n=252; Florida residents: n=274.
