MEN'S HEALTH:Despite some progress, many Irish men are still reluctant to discuss issues associated with their health and wellbeing

ANECDOTAL mutterings would have us believe that today's young men are health-obsessed and medically aware beings. They drink still water instead of pints, and are comfortable talking about prostate or Pilates in the gym locker room. Or are they?

GP Dr Tony Foley believes that despite popular impressions many Irish men are still reluctant to discuss issues associated with their health and wellbeing.

"There may be much more awareness in general society, but men are still terribly reluctant to discuss things," he says.

Recent high profile campaigns by personalities such as comedian Des Bishop and broadcaster George Hook, highlighting illnesses such as depression and cancer, have done much to broaden the debate about and discourse among men.

"I think that certainly in the past few years there has been increased awareness. One of the things, though, that has had most impact is men becoming more involved in the home with their children," says Foley.

"There is a new conscience there now that they have to look after themselves. The devil-may-care attitude of the past is slipping away because of this increased family involvement."

Foley believes that doctors, too, have a role to play in helping Irish men to be more upfront about their health. "You often find with men that they will come in with a certain complaint and the real issue only emerges later."

But at what age should Irish men go for regular check-ups? For now, younger men can relax, while those over 40 should be getting to know their doctor's surgery a little better.

"From the evidence we have, there is little to support the idea that men under 40 should be going for a yearly check-up," says Foley.

"For those over 40 there is evidence though that it is beneficial. But it would be wrong of me to say every man should have a check-up every year. That's just doctors looking for business."

HEALTHY LIVES

Here, three Irish men of different ages discuss their attitudes to health and wellbeing.

Dr Tony Foley, a Kinsale-based GP, gives his expert opinion on each of the age groups.

Dietitian Aveen Bannon, nutritionist and founder of the Dublin Nutrition Centre, advises on the dietary issues they need to be aware of.

'I have a reasonably health diet'

IN HIS 20s PETER WILSON Student (22)

HEALTH IS something I’m reasonably conscious about. From talking to people my age, it’s not a very consistent thing. I have a reasonably healthy diet, so wouldn’t feel the need to think about my health a lot.

I do wonder if I should be going to the doctor occasionally, but it wouldn’t bother me to the point I would actually do it. I suppose issues of expense come in there also.

I don’t think there is a greater awareness among men my age about their health. It is not discussed from what I can tell, at least not very openly. With doctors, I don’t have any feeling of intimidation that may have been there years ago.

I suppose male friends might be aware of their health but it’s a case of not being too bothered. While it might be a priority for some it’s a very low one for college students. Having said that, I have come across students who are health obsessed and then there are some who could not care less and happen to have healthy lifestyles anyway.

The big problem as I see it with this country is health tends to equal expense. If I’m walking through town and don’t have a huge amount of time and want something healthy to eat, it will cost me far more than something less healthy. When you are a student that can be a problem.

My experience is that issues of men’s health are not discussed a huge amount. There may be some chat in a sports club context but the discussion is usually about fitness.

THE DOCTOR SAYS:

IT’S AT this stage that the building blocks of future health are laid. Chief causes of morbidity and mortality in this age group (and more in males than females) are alcohol-related illnesses and incidents, substance-misuse and road traffic accidents.

Young men suffer too, often silently, with psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Smoking is also an issue and so it’s now that education is needed to avoid the cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and lung cancer paths of later life.

From a cancer viewpoint, testicular cancer frequently occurs in young men, so self-examination should be encouraged.

THE DIETITIAN SAYS:

IN OUR 20s, many have just moved out of home and maybe shopping on a tighter budget. Maintaining nutritional adequacy on a tighter budget and cooking for one can be challenging.

A good rule of thumb is to include colour at every meal. So, some juice with breakfast, salad in a sandwich, fruit as snacks and plenty of vegetables with every evening meal. What many young men don’t realise is that their diet will now impact on their future health. Snacking can be one area where young men need to be careful and they should try to avoid eating too many high fatty or sugary snack foods. Nutritious snack options include nuts, seeds, dried fruit, wholemeal scones, muesli bars, popcorn and hummus.

'I think there is a great attitude towards health now'

IN HIS 70s DANNO HEASLIP Retired auctioneer (71)

I THINK I am very health conscious. I played rugby when I was younger and still go to the gym twice a week. A lot of young lads seem to be very health conscious these days, doing marathons and that type of thing. I think there is a great attitude towards health now.

One big impact on men’s health is that the quality of the food years ago wasn’t as good as it is now. A lot of the food now has less fat content.

I am very anti-cigarettes, and I did smoke. I gave it up when I was about 26, so I had been smoking from about the age of 17. It affects your body in so many ways, from your heart to your lungs and even your skin.

I go for a medical once a year to my local GP. I always did that all my life and thank God I am enjoying good health. A member of my family had prostate cancer, so we talk a lot about it.

Diet is something I care about also. I remember talking to a friend about jockeys losing weight. He wrapped it all up by saying, “If you don’t eat it you can’t lose it.”

I control my diet and I’m fortunate in that I was 11 stone at 18 years of age and I am still 11 stone today.

I live in the city, and a simple thing is that I have a bike and I’d cycle sometimes. The best exercise for over-40s is walking for at least 30 minutes every day.

I got two new hips in 2007 and 2008. They needed to be replaced because of old rugby injuries. I was back running six weeks after of the operation. Modern medicine is a wonder. I always say a prayer every Sunday thanking God for medicine and for all that goes with it.

THE DOCTOR SAYS:

HAVING SURVIVED until aged 70 and over, men of this age need to be wary of cancers and cardiac disease. Prostate and colon cancers are common.

Hence the need for screening. The government is in the process of rolling out routine-check colonoscopies and each man should be encouraged to get his PSA checked yearly at the very least, or when prostate symptoms such as urinary frequency, poor stream and feeling of incomplete bladder voiding arise. As we get older, dementia may become an issue also.

THE DIETITIAN SAYS:

A HEALTHY diet and exercise regime continue to be important as you get older. One challenge can be maintaining a healthy weight. As you get older people tend to be less active and therefore require fewer calories.

However, they still have the same requirement for vitamins and minerals so need to ensure that their diets are nutrient rich.

We continue to need two servings of protein-rich foods per day as we get older and it is a good idea to have a variety of red meat, poultry, pulses, eggs and fish.

Oily fish such as salmon, mackerel herring and trout should be included in the diet at least once a week. They provide omega 3 fatty acids, which are important for heart health, joint health and brain health.

'In general, Irish men have copped themselves on'

IN HIS 40s PAT KEOGH Managing director (41)

SINCE I set up my company, Call Management, in 2001, I am far more conscious of my health. I not only have my family but also 25 staff to think about and I’m aware that if I abused myself then their livelihood is also affected. For example, going out drinking until 3am at my age is silly and will affect everybody else working there.

My dietary habits have changed over the years in that I eat less bread. I play squash four or five nights a week and soccer on Fridays. In relation to doctors, I think I would be the same as the average Irish male – unless something is wrong with me, I don’t go as a precaution. I think Irish guys have a fear of the unknown and don’t want anyone to tell us something is wrong with us.

Younger men nowadays seem to have a better overall attitude towards their outlook on life than what we used to have. I’m a firm believer in eating properly. For example, our freezer is never full – it’s there for emergencies only. I also don’t believe in doing a big shop either. It generally means you get all these two-for-one deals and a lot of rubbish you don’t want.

My father was 79 last week and when he was growing up, he was smoking 20-40 cigarettes a day. He gave them up about 25 years ago. They didn’t see cigarettes back then as a health problem. I think that is a big change, especially among men. In general, Irish men have copped themselves on a small bit.

One thing though which has got worse is the whole drinking at home scene and that scares me. A lot of our drinking is behind closed doors now and that’s not good.

The life of a managing director can be unhealthy. For my first two years, I was working up to 100 hours a week. But the key thing was that I still managed a game of squash every week. You need that outlet outside of work, otherwise you’ll crack up.

I’m a firm believer that if you don’t exercise, your mind will not perform to the best of its ability. I meet a lot of MDs who have large beer bellies. To be honest, I think it reflects badly on their companies. Everyone should be able to make a half-hour free somewhere in the course of a week for a bit of exercise.

THE DOCTOR SAYS:

FOR THE man in his 40s fresh problems surface. Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle coupled with other risk factors (smoking, alcohol, cholesterol and family history) lead to heightened cardio/cerebrovascular risk (angina/heart attack/stroke, onset of diabetes). Osteoarthritis and peptic ulcer disease are common accompaniments. It’s usually here that increased health awareness kicks in. Hopefully it’s not too late.

THE DIETITIAN SAYS:

WITH INCREASING years we need to look at reducing the risk of certain diseases. Often a busy lifestyle can lead to long gaps between meal times and sometimes a reduction in physical activity.

The first step to a healthy lifestyle is to ensure a regular eating pattern is adopted and to aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day. When advising a man in his 40s about diet and future health the key areas to focus on are heart health, bowel health, mental health and prostate health.

The key advice for men in this age bracket is to look after their hearts, take time to eat and to keep active.