Frequently going to your primary care physician for routine check-ups is very important, regardless of your age, sex, race or income level.
Taking part in preventive health care can greatly improve your quality of life by reducing both your likelihood of developing a disease and reducing any financial strain that could come along with medical bills.
Preventive health care services for men include numerous health screenings, tests, counseling and intervention services and immunization vaccines. These tests and preventive measures help to assess the health of various parts of your body while checking for signs of disease or illness.
Then, after the preventive services have been used, your doctor will speak to you about your results and what you can do to further prevent the onset of disease.
It is extremely important to speak with your doctor at your annual well-person exam about what preventive services he or she recommends for you. Generally, your doctor will make recommendations based on your age and any risk factors that you may have.
A risk factor is a personal attribute or a level of exposure that may increase the likelihood of developing an injury or disease. A few examples of a risk factor include being at an unhealthy weight, having high blood pressure, having unprotected sex, consuming alcohol or using tobacco products, and not having proper hygiene habits.
Once your doctor has discussed potential risk factors with you, he or she can set up any necessary tests, screenings, counseling and/or immunizations that could help you.
Benefits of Preventive Care for Men
There are many different benefits for properly using preventive care measures as an adult male. Not only will you likely save a lot of money, you will also improve your health and wellness as well.
Many preventive services are now 100 percent covered by most insurance plans because of the Affordable Care Act. This also means that many services do not require a copay or any other out-of-pocket charges.
Plus, preventive care services may prevent you from developing a disease or illness that could cause many expensive medical bills to be required.
Altogether, preventive health care services can greatly improve your quality of life for a variety of different reasons.
Preventive Care for Men
There are many preventive health care services available to all men. These services are designed to look for diseases or illnesses in their earliest forms before the condition is too severe.
If found, treatment can begin quickly and is likely to be most effective. The following services are recommended for most all adult men, with some variation depending on age and risk factors.
In general, most of the services listed below are covered by insurance when provided to certain populations, although you must speak with your insurance provider to be completely sure about your personal coverage.
Some of the most common preventive care services for adult men and other adults are as follows:
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) screening services are offered as a one-time service for men who have ever smoked or have other AAA risk factors. Usually recommended for men between the ages of 65 and 75.
- Blood pressure screenings that are available for all adults.
- Cholesterol screenings for adults at certain ages or adults who are at a higher risk for developing high cholesterol.
- Colorectal cancer screenings are available for adults between the ages of 50 and 75 years.
- Depression screening services are available for all adults.
- Diabetes screening services for all adults between the ages of 40 and 70 who are overweight or obese.
- Hepatitis B screenings for all adults with high risk of developing Hepatitis B or C based on various risk factors.
- Hepatitis C screenings for all adults born between the years of 1945 to 1965.
- HIV screenings for everyone between the ages of 15 to 65, and potentially at other ages due to increased risk.
- Immunization vaccines for all adults, though recommended ages and populations vary depending on the specific vaccine. Vaccines include influenza (flu shot), measles, pertussis, tetanus, chickenpox and more.
- Lung cancer screenings for adults between the ages of 55 to 80 years old who are at a high risk for lung cancer because of smoking tendencies.
- Syphilis screenings are available for all adults at higher risk of developing syphilis.
- Tuberculosis screenings are offered for certain adults without symptoms but who are at higher risk for developing tuberculosis.
Preventive Counseling and Screening Services
In addition to there being many medical tests that can help doctors to discover any signs of future or current disease or illness you may be prone to, there are even more services involved in preventive health care.
Counseling services and interventions may also be recommended for you by your physician if you have certain lifestyle habits or if you consume alcohol or tobacco products.
- Alcohol misuse counseling and screenings are available for all adults.
- Diet counseling is available for adults with a high risk for a chronic disease.
- Obesity counseling and screening services are offered for all adults.
- Sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention counseling services are available for adults at higher risk of developing an STI.
- Tobacco use screening and interventions are offered for all adults and adult tobacco users.
Other Preventive Care Options
A few different forms of preventive care include speaking to your doctor about regularly taking aspirin medication in order to prevent cardiovascular disease and colon cancer.
It should be noted that this is only recommended for some adults between the ages of 50 and 59 years old that also have a high risk of developing cardiovascular (heart) issues.
Or, instead of regularly taking aspirin, your doctor may recommend that you start taking “statin” medications to reduce your risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke.
Statins help to lower or prevent high cholesterol and are only recommended for high-risk adults between the ages of 40 to 75 years who have high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure or who smoke frequently.
Certain prevention options may also be available to help prevent adults from falling and injuring themselves, including certain exercise regimens, physical therapy or vitamin D usage.
Other important screenings include prostate and colon cancer screenings, especially if the patient’s family has a history of these diseases.
There are also many other forms of preventive care including making lifestyle changes or taking other medications or supplements. You may find that exercising more, changing your eating habits, and taking certain supplements may help to reduce your risk of developing certain ailments.
However, because everyone has such different health requirements, you must speak to your physician before beginning any type of lifestyle changes or medication/supplement changes.
