Get Dad to the Doc - The Best Father's Day Gift

Men do not go to the doctor's office. They have to be loosing a limb, turning a shade of blue, or have absolutely nothing to watch on television. Even then, they are always hesitant to take care of their health.

Did you know that new research has found that men are 31 percent less likely than women to have visited a doctor within the past year? In fact, men report making fewer routine health care appointments compared with women (56.5 percent vs. 73.8 percent).

So, what can we do to encourage middle-age men to learn which preventive medical tests they need to get and when to get them? We can help spread the word about during National Men’s Health Week (June 14 - 20) and year round.

Here's what you can do:

o Send the men in your life this new e-card for Father’s Day (http://www.dadtothedoc.org)

o Ask your husband, father, brother, etc. to take the health quiz (http://www.ahrq.gov/healthymen/quiz.htm)

o Encourage the men to visit ahrq.gov/healthymen, which provides recommended ages for preventive medical tests, a health care quiz designed to test knowledge of preventive health care, tips for talking with doctors, a glossary of consumer health terms, and links to online resources to find more medical information. Also, keep an eye out for the new PSAs encouraging dad's to take care of their health.

o Tweet about the men’s preventive health campaign, sharing the www.ahrq.gov/healthymen and the www.dadtothedoc.org URLs, using hashtag #dadtothedoc.

o Let your Facebook friends know about the campaign’s Facebook page (facebook.com/healthymen) and the incredible resources available.

o Sit down with the men in your life and take a look at the tools needed for a healthy future. Send the health e-card this Father’s Day to remind the men you love about the importance of protecting his health this Father’s Day and for many more to come.

All areas are covered. Now, do your part and give the best Father's Day gift ever - a healthy future. Remember, Father's Day is June 20, 2010. Make the day special for the one(s) you love.


Disclosure:
"By posting this information, I have the opportunity to win a gift card thanks to Global Influence. I did not receive any monetary compensation for this post."