Spouses/Significant others play an influential role in getting men to take their health seriously: Cleveland Clinic Survey

A new survey by Cleveland Clinic in the United States reveals a disconnect between the sexes when it comes to staying on top of their health.

In two online surveys among approximately 2,000 U.S. men and women 18 years or older, Cleveland Clinic found that 83 percent of women* said they encourage their spouse/significant other to get their health checked once a year, however, 30 percent of men believe that they don’t need to go because they are “healthy.”

The survey was issued as part of Cleveland Clinic’s third annual educational campaign, “MENtion It®,” which aims to address the fact that men often do not “MENtion” health issues or take steps to prevent them. This year for the first time, Cleveland Clinic surveyed women in addition to men to try to understand how mothers, wives, spouses/significant others, daughters and friends can encourage the men in their lives to stay healthy.

“When it comes to the health of their husbands, fathers, brothers, or sons, women are often times the health decision-maker in the family,” said Eric Klein, M.D., chairman of Cleveland Clinic’s Glickman Urological & Kidney Institute. “Many of our male patients admit to only seeing their doctor after their significant other has encouraged them to go. We wanted to make sure we captured their point of view on men’s health since they play such an important role.”

Key survey findings:

• Six-in-ten (61 percent) of men have neglected visiting a doctor even when they needed to go.
• ​Only about half (47 percent) of men under the age of 35 regularly do testicular self-exams.
• More than half (56 percent) of men prefer to keep health concerns to themselves and not share them with anyone.
• Discussing sexual health conditions with their partner is particularly taboo: Two-in-five men with live-in partners would not discuss painful erections (41 percent) and/or frequent erectile dysfunction (43 percent) with their partner.

One common ground the survey found among men and women is that both sexes turn to the internet as much as their doctor when a health concern comes up: just as many men and women research their symptoms online (27 percent of men and 27 percent of women) or consult a doctor when first noticing changes in their health (27 percent of men and 26 percent of women). Additionally, most men (88 percent) and women (85 percent) with live-in partners agree that it is important to discuss health concerns with their partner, but few men (15 percent) and women (14 percent) reported that they share their health changes with their spouse/significant other, first. “We want to educate men about health issues that might seem insignificant but could actually be an indicator of a larger health problem,” said Dr. Klein. “For example, frequent urination at night might just seem annoying but it can also be reflective of conditions other than prostate enlargement, such as sleep apnea, which can be associated with an increased risk of heart disease.” 

Visit www.clevelandclinic.org/MENtionIt  for more information about men’s health and important preventive steps every man can take.

*refers to women who live with a male significant other/spouse 

Methodology

Two online surveys conducted among a total of approximately 2,000 U.S. Americans 18 years or older living in the continental United States, were conducted between April 10 and May 7, 2018. The surveys were weighted to be nationally representative based age, gender, ethnicity and education. The margin of error for the total sample is +/- 3 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

-Ends- 

About Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation. Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the United States. U.S. News & World Report consistently names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Among Cleveland Clinic’s 52,000 employees are more than 3,600 full-time salaried physicians and researchers and 14,000 nurses, representing 140 medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic’s health system includes a 165-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 11 regional hospitals, more than 150 northern Ohio outpatient locations – including 18 full-service family health centers and three health and wellness centers – and locations in Weston, Florida.; Las Vegas, Nevada.; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; and London, England. In 2017, there were 7.6 million outpatient visits, 229,000 hospital admissions and 207,000 surgical cases throughout Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from every state and 185 countries. Visit us at www.clevelandclinic.org . Follow us at www.twitter.com/ClevelandClinic . News and resources available at www.newsroom.clevelandclinic.org  . 

© Press Release 2018