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Tuesday, Jul. 14, 2009

Report: Georgia men don’t diet, exercise or seek care like they should

Chances are good that you need to eat better, exercise more and see a doctor. Come on, you know it. Though, if you’re a man, maybe you’re a little slower on the uptake. Or just stubborn. A new state report shows that Georgia men can expect to live five years less than women. The state’s average male life expectancy of 72.3 years is one of the lowest in the country. Heart disease, strokes and cancer account for more than 50 percent of male deaths in the state, according to the report that was produced over two years by an appointed Commission on Men’s Health. All three problems can be helped by lifestyle changes: Eating more fruits and vegetables, exercising and not smoking. Seeing a doctor occasionally would also help, said Dr. Waldo Floyd III, the Macon orthopedic surgeon who chaired the study commission. “That’s the bottom line, is to start at a young age seeing a doctor regularly,” Floyd said. The Telegraph recently spoke to Floyd, and an edited version of that conversation follows.

TELEGRAPH: Why are life expectancies lower in Georgia compared to other parts of the country? FLOYD: I think that there are several reasons. One is access to health care in rural Georgia, in urban and rural Georgia for that matter. The second is that we have, in Middle Georgia and throughout the state, some of the highest instances of hypertension and (kidney) failure in the country. And that’s probably a combination of genetics, bad diet and inactivity. TELEGRAPH: Too much salt and too much fat? FLOYD: Too much salt, too much fat, not being treated by doctors early. ... A lot of people will have high blood pressure and not know it and the next thing you know they have kidney failure and they’re on dialysis, or they have hypertensive heart disease, or they have a stroke. TELEGRAPH: So you should see your doctor and get checked out. FLOYD: And have screening exams. Just having your blood pressure checked and having that managed and watching your weight at a young age. TELEGRAPH: Can I trust the blood pressure machines at the grocery stores and pharmacies to give me an accurate reading? FLOYD: I think it’s better than no reading. But I think that you really need someone who can interpret those numbers. Everyone should be, over a certain age, maybe 40 ... should at least be evaluated by a doctor on an annual basis. And men tend not to do that. TELEGRAPH: Do you exercise and diet? FLOYD: I don’t exercise the way I should, and I don’t diet the way I should. But I tell you, I had a salad for lunch today. And if I didn’t care about what I ate I would have gone to the local soul food restaurant and had country fried steak, collard greens, rice and gravy and corn bread. TELEGRAPH: When should men go in for their first prostate exam? FLOYD: I think in the 40s.

(Editor’s note: The American Cancer Society says the age varies, depending on risk factors. It could be as early as 40 or as late as in the 50s.)

To contact writer Travis Fain call 744-4213.