Crapo Men's Health Resolution Passes Senate

Washington, D.C. - As Father's Day approaches, the U.S. Senate has approved a resolution introduced by Idaho Senator Mike Crapo designating this week as "National Men's Health Week."  The legislation, S. Res. 547, calls for increased awareness and attention to testing that can prevent cancer, heart disease and other ailments that many men often ignore.

Crapo, a two-time prostate cancer survivor, has long pushed to improve awareness of men's health issues. Crapo noted that men overall have a shorter life span than women, fail to get regular medical check-ups and often ignore health-related problems. Even as the Senate passed the Crapo resolution, free health screenings were being offered this week on Capitol Hill, with many men taking advantage of the tests.

"Men need to know the facts and be more responsible about their own health," Crapo said. "The statistics speak for themselves: men are one and one-half times more likely to die of a heart attack than are women; cancer rates are the same but if detected early, there is an excellent chance for survival. The week of Father's Day is an excellent time for all women and children to remind Dad to take care of his health through preventive tests."
S. Res. 547 recalls the following statistics: Despite advances in medical technology and research, men continue to live an average of more than five years less than women, and African-American men have the lowest life expectancy;
Nine of the 10 leading causes of death, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, affect men at a higher percentage than women;
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between ages 45 and 54, men are over one and one-half times more likely than women to die of heart attacks;
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men die of heart disease at one and one-half times the rate of women;
Men die of cancer at almost one and one-half times the rate of women;
Testicular cancer is one of the most common cancers in men aged 15 to 34, and, when detected early, has a 96 percent survival rate;
According to the American Cancer Society, the number of cases of colon cancer among men will reach almost 49,470 in 2010, and nearly 50 percent of men diagnosed with colon cancer will die from the disease;
The likelihood that a man will develop prostate cancer is one in six;
According to the American Cancer Society, the number of men developing prostate cancer in 2010 will reach more than 217,730 and an estimated 32,050 of those men will die from the disease.
The Resolution calls upon Americans to observe National Men's Health Week with appropriate ceremonies and activities. It passed the Senate by unanimous consent.