Research Activities, August 2010: Agency News and Notes: AHRQ and Ad Council encourage men to take preventive steps in their health care

Agency News and Notes
AHRQ and Ad Council encourage men to take preventive steps in their health care
Men are 24 percent less likely than women to have visited the doctor within the past year, according to new data recently released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). In addition, men are about 30 percent more likely than women to be hospitalized for preventable conditions such as congestive heart failure and complications from diabetes, according to new AHRQ data.

In an effort to raise awareness among middle-aged men about the importance of preventive medical testing, AHRQ recently joined with the Ad Council to launch a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs). As an extension of a Men's Preventive Health campaign first launched in 2008, AHRQ and the Ad Council released new PSAs to encourage men over 40 to learn which preventive screening tests they need to get and when they need to get them. This campaign complements AHRQ's existing efforts toward improving the safety and quality of health care and promoting patient involvement in their own health care, including the "Questions Are the Answer" campaign launched with the Ad Council in 2007 and the "Superheroes" Spanish-language campaign launched in 2008.

Created pro bono for the Ad Council by Grey New York, the new television, radio, print, outdoor, and Web ads incorporate family as a key motivating factor for men to take a more active role in preventive health. They show the target audience that they need to take care of themselves (and their health) in order to be there for their families now and in the future. To view the PSAs, visit http://www.ahrq.gov/healthymen.

The PSAs encourage men to visit that Web site, which provides the recommended ages for preventive testing (as well as a list of tests), a quiz designed to test knowledge of preventive health care, tips for talking with the doctor, a glossary of consumer health terms, and links to online resources to find more medical information.

Research Activities, August 2010: Agency News and Notes: AHRQ and Ad Council encourage men to take preventive steps in their health care