WhichTests Are Right For You? (NAPSA)—Men are 25 percent less likely than women to have visited the doctor within the past year and are 38 percent more likely than women to have neglected their cholesterol tests. Furthermore, men are 1.5 times more likely than women to die from heart disease, cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases. To encourage middle-age men to take preventive steps in their health care, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Ad Council are running a public ser- vice advertising campaign encouraging men over 40 to learn which preventive screening tests they need to get and when they need to get them. Real Men Wear Gowns The new television, radio, print and Web advertising features the theme “Real Men Wear Gowns.” The lighthearted ads incorporate family as a key motivating factor for men to take a more active role in their preventive health. They show the target audience that being real men means taking care of themselves (and their health) in order to be there for their families now and in the future. Ad Council research showed this was a strong motivating factor for men. To view the PSAs, visit www.ahrq.gov/realmen. The site provides the recommendedages for preventive testing (as well as a list of tests) and links to online resources where you can find more medical information. “We hope this campaign will inform men about the importance of prevention and show them that they should work with their “Real Men Wear Gowns” ads are part of a lighthearted Ad Council campaign designed to remind men that being aroundfor loved onesis the best reason to go to the doctor. health care providers to find out what they should do to stay healthy,” said AHRQ director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. WhichTests Are Right For You? “By taking steps to prevent disease and stay healthy, men can live longer and more productive lives,” said U.S. Preventive Task Force Chair Ned Calonge, M.D. “Prevention is a decision that includes participating in regular physical activity, eating a healthy diet and finding out which preventive medical tests are right for you.” This campaign, created pro bono by McCann Erickson Detroit, complements AHRQ’s existing efforts toward improving the safety and quality of health care and promoting patients’ involvement in their own health care, including the “Questions Are the Answer” campaign launched with the Ad Council in March 2007 and the “Superheroes” Spanish-language campaign launched in March 2008.
