Men's Health

Though I believe in the campaign goal, I am not certain if the methods for reaching it are appropriate.

I am referring to a health promotion campaign that is a joint effort by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Ad Council. Using recommendations offered by the US Preventative Services Task Force with regard to screening for and preventing disease in men, the AHRQ has posted a checklist on their website and a printable chart to be used to keep track of screenings. This is in response to the fact that men in general die sooner than women and have much more incidence of preventable conditions than women do. It is also known that men visit the doctor less often than women. There is some speculation as to why this might be based on social and behavior theory, but to my knowledge, there has not been a study or broad survey of men to find out what is keeping them away. Behavior experts suggest it has to do with feelings of invincibility and pride. Either way – it would behoove everyone, especially the men, if they did get routine care and screenings. That is the goal of the ad campaign – the intermediate goal. The long term goal is less disease and increased life expectancy for men.

Please see the checklist and recommendations here.

The Ad Council has some print and TV spots that I do not think are going to be effective. I wonder if the ads were pilot tested and created by health communication or social marketing experts. I haven’t a chance to research that just now, but do want to know the answer. The ads seem to use humor or sarcasm in referring to a man’s early demise because they didn’t have screenings etc. But my educational and professional experience point away from that strategy so we’ll see.

Another thing that the proposal doesn’t seem to address is that some men and women for that matter are skeptical over the screenings, prevention methods and medications. I have had many people, especially over age 60 say that they think the tests are needless and just ways to get more money from the patient or insurance company. Now if that is really the perception for a plurality of men, then this campaign won’t work because it is hitting the wrong obstacle.

You can see some of the ads on the Ad Council webpage.