tubborn men in danger from not seeing a doctor
Men are putting themselves at risk by not following up on ill health
New figures show that men are twice as likely as women not to visit a doctor, even if they are feeling ill.
The survey suggested that men are far more likely to delay a trip to see their GP in the hope that their illness is not serious, increasing their chances of being admitted to hospital.
Reasons given to the survey conducted for Socked.co.uk gentlemen's sock subscription service included difficulties in fitting an appointment around work, embarrassment, or the fear of what the doctor might find.
"Men are playing Russian Roulette with their health," said Mark Hall, gentleman creation officer at Socked.co.uk, "and their stubborn nature means that they'll often let a minor ailment get worse before they seek help."
"Not only that, we're dismayed to learn that many chaps aren't even doing the most basic personal health checks."
According to the figures, seven out of ten men don't even check themselves for such easily detectable conditions as testicular cancer. Some told us that they were scared of what they might find; while others admitted that they either didn't know of the risk, or didn't know what they were looking for.
The top reasons given by both men and women for not visiting a doctor when feeling ill include (surveyed people gave multiple answers):
- Scared of discovering a more serious illness - 45%
- Don't have time - 39%
- Too embarrassed to talk about symptoms - 33%
- Too lazy / Can't be bothered - 23 %
- Worried the doctor will nag you over your lifestyle - 21%
- Think they're invincible - 18%
- Shrugging it off / "It's not as bad as it looks" - 17%
- "I know I'm ill, but I'll run it off" - 16 %
- Self-diagnosis through Wikipedia - 12%
- Don't trust the medical profession - 7%
Do you regularly check yourself for detectable conditions as testicular cancer?
Yes 30%
No 70%
If you thought you were ill, would you visit the doctor for a check-up?
- Women - 78%
- Men - 38%
"Gents really ought to stop being squeamish about personal health," said Hall, "Socked are proud to support male health awareness such as testicular cancer awareness, and urge men to check themselves regularly."
"It's your own life you're saving, after all."
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