Men's Health in Southeastern Pennsylvania
June is Men’s Health Month. The purpose of Men’s Health Month is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. This month gives health care providers, public policy makers, the media, and individuals an opportunity to encourage men and boys to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury.i
Men die at higher rates than women from the top 10 causes of death and are the victims of over 92% of workplace deaths. Men, on average, die almost five years earlier than women. And yet, women are 100% more likely to visit the doctor for annual examinations and preventive services than men.ii
PHMC’s Community Health Data Base (CHDB) used data from the 2015 Southeastern Pennsylvania (SEPA) Household Health Survey on the health of men, 18 years or older, for this analysis. The survey is administered by telephone in more than 10,000 households in the SEPA region, including Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia Counties. Every two years, this survey collects key health information on SEPA residents to support health programs across the five county area.
Insurance Coverage
Nationally, men are at higher risk for poor health because they are less likely to have insurance coverage than women.
• For example, men age 18-64 in SEPA (89%) are less likely to have health insurance than women the same age (93%), an important factor in accessing care.
• They are also less likely than women to have insurance for prescriptions (44% versus 56%).
Access to Care
Nationally, adult men receive less routine health care than do adult women: men make half as many physician visits for prevention as do women. Data from Southeastern Pennsylvania showed similar differences between men and women. Men in SEPA are less likely to obtain preventive care and health screenings than women
• More than 243,000 adult men in Southeastern Pennsylvania do not have a regular source of care.
o Men (83%) are less likely than women (91%) to have a regular source of care.
o Eight percent (19%) of men did not see a physician in the past year, compared to 8% of women.
• Nine percent of men in the region did not receive health care when they were sick in the past year due to cost; this represents 126,200 men in SEPA.
• 150,300 men (10%) did not fill a prescription medication in the past year due to cost.
Health Behaviors
Longer lifetimes and better quality of life can be achieved through making lifestyle changes, including eating a healthy diet, being physically active, and avoiding smoking. In Southeastern Pennsylvania, many men have the opportunity to improve their health behaviors and change their overall health and well-being. Men in SEPA are more likely to engage in some negative health behaviors than women. Nearly one in five SEPA men smokes cigarettes, representing approximately 283,300 men.
• Men are more likely to smoke cigarettes than women (19% versus 15%, respectively), but are more likely than women to have tried to quit smoking in the past year (61% versus 54%, respectively).
• Smoking rates among men are much higher in Philadelphia (26%) compared with the other SEPA counties: 18% in Delaware County, 16% in Bucks County, 13% in Montgomery County, and 16% of men in Chester County.
• Although men (54%) are more likely than women (49%) to exercise three times a week or more, over 192,000 men in SEPA (13%) never exercise. However than one-third of men in our region (41%) are overweight, and more than one-quarter (29%) are obese.
The findings on men’s health in SEPA reflect national trends. In many ways, men face additional health risks when compared with women. These data also show that men may be able to make lifestyle changes that will improve their overall quality of health and longevity.
For more information about men’s health or the Southeastern Pennsylvania Household Health Survey, contact Lisa R. Kleiner at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..