Top Excuses Men Make to Avoid Doctor Visits

Men are more likely to make excuses for not going to visit their doctor on a regular basis. A new survey lists the top excuses men most often make. The survey by Orlando Health found that the top excuse men make to avoid scheduling annual appointments with their primary care physician, is that they are too busy. The survey showed that the second most common excuse men make is that they are afraid of finding out something might be wrong with them. Men also say that they are uncomfortable with certain body exams such as prostate checks, which rounds up the top three excuses.

The two doctors who launched the Drive for Men's Health campaign say they've heard those excuses - and plenty more. That's why urologic robotic surgeons Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt and Dr. Sijo Parekattil are driving cross country to challenge men to stop making excuses and start making changes.

"Men can spend 3­4 hours golfing or watching a ball game every week, or find the time to take a trip to Vegas with their buddies, but they can't spare 90 minutes a year to get a check up? That's inexcusable," said Brahmbhatt, men's health activist and Co­Director of the PUR (Personalized Urology & Robotics) Clinic in Clermont, Florida. "As men, we need to make our health more of a priority, and that's what the Drive for Men's Health campaign is all about."

The doctors point out that the life expectancy for men is at least 5 years less than it is for women, and of the top 10 causes of death in the U.S., men are more likely than women to die from 9 of them.

"One of the biggest reasons for those statistics, is that women are much more proactive about their health than men," said Brahmbhatt. "We often use the analogy that our bodies are a lot like our cars? men will take the time to do preventative maintenance on their cars, like getting tuneups and oil changes, but for whatever reason, we often don't take the same care of our bodies. We need to change that mindset."

Advertisement

Source-Eurekalert