This past year has brought so much uncertainty and hardship to so many people throughout the world due the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of Wednesday, March 10, 2021, there have been roughly 29 million cases and just over 526,000 deaths in the United States of...
Category: Disparities
Fighting prostate cancer in the Mississippi Delta, one man at a time
In the impoverished communities of the Mississippi Delta, where prostate cancer death rates are more than 28 men per 100,000, residents were leery about the concept of research. Delta residents were deeply concerned about exploitation and feared that participating in cancer research would make them guinea pigs. So Freddie White-Johnson created a community cancer outreach...
What Women Need to Know About Men’s Health
Dear Healthy Men: As a wife, daughter, sister, and mother of two boys, I’m surrounded by men. What do I need to know about men’s health? A: I’ve always maintained that men’s health is a women’s issue, since when men are healthier, their partners become healthier too (along with their children and communities). Here are the...Continue reading
Memorize these symptoms of heart attack in both men and women
February is Heart Health month, a great time to review the symptoms of heart attacks for both men and women. More than a quarter of female deaths are the result of heart disease, which kills more than 300,000 women every year. Heart disease has been women’s number one cause of death for decades, says the...Continue reading
Rural men more vulnerable to COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has created a double whammy for rural men: Their access to medical care is often difficult because of long distances to travel for treatment, and they are less likely to have access to high-speed internet for telehealth visits. Even before the pandemic, healthcare for rural men had unique challenges. For the approximately...Continue reading
The Long and the Short of It (No, Not That…)
Dear Healthy Men: I’m only 5’7” and over my whole adult life, I feel that it’s been harder for me to date than for my friends who are taller than I am. And lately I’ve started to wonder whether there are any other issues, health included, that might affect short men more than taller guys....Continue reading
Unequal Justice: Gender-Based Disparities in the Courts
Dear Healthy Men: I’ve been reading about actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, who were recently sentenced for their part in the college admissions scandal. What really struck me was the difference in their sentences. She got two months in prison, a $150,000 fine, and some community service. He got five months in prison, a...Continue reading
CDC reports much higher COVID-19 hospitalization rates for Black, American Indian and Alaska native populations
Please note that the CDC uses “Whites” rather than “Caucasian” in its reports, so I followed suit here. COVID-19 is hitting some populations harder than others, and statistics are beginning to bear that out. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that COVID-19 hospitalization rates for some non-Caucasian people have approached nearly 5...Continue reading
Native Americans, Alaskan Natives have high COVID-19 risk
COVID-19 is hitting some communities hard, and a cluster of factors puts Native Americans at especially high risk. Among those factors: multi-generational families living under one roof and, in some cases, limited access to running water or power, says Jessica Atwell, infectious disease epidemiologist with the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health. Underlying health...Continue reading
Of Masks and Masculinity
Dear Healthy Men: I’ve really had it with COVID and the non-stop pressure to wear a mask. I’m a 35-year old, very fit man and doubt I’m going to get sick. Plus, the things look positively goofy. And anyway, if the President of the United States won’t wear a mask, why should I? A: Whether President...Continue reading