Medical Check-ups for Football Fans

Men have a shorter life expectancy than women and one in five men die before they are 65 but on the whole men tend to neglect their health and are less likely to seek help when they feel under the weather. This is reflected in private medical insurance company data which finds that men seek medical attention far less often than women. Professor Alan White of Leeds Metropolitan University has launched an initiative to help men who may be at risk of ill health.

Last Wednesday a new men's health scheme was launched at Craven Cottage the home of Fulham football club in South West London. There was a stall at the football match which offered quick health checks for men. The checks included: height, weight, waist size, blood pressure and cholesterol checks. 17 out of the 20 Premier League clubs will be offering this service which is being run by primary health care trust along with the Premier League Clubs. Additionally each club will employ one health trainer who will provide courses for men who are at risk and would like to attend.

Funding for this scheme has been provided equally by the New Football Pools and various NHS organisations. Each will be contributing £1.63m.

Professor White says that, 'The idea is to bring health services to men who may feel more comfortable having a check-up at a sports ground than they would using traditional health services, such as a GP's surgery,'

'There are around 20,000 men there for the match, many of whom would usually be reluctant or unable to see their doctor. When we did some of these sessions last year, we found men who had health problems they didn't know about, such as diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension, and pointed them to where they could get help.

Men tend to seek medical help far less than men so targeting them in places where they do hang out seems like a very good idea. Mr White, a nurse-turned academic, has been aware of the differences between men and women when it comes to health care for a long time:

'Men tend to develop, and die from, most conditions sooner than women do," he says. "One in five men dies before 65, usually because of cancer, heart disease, an alcohol-related condition, suicide or an accident. That's a huge loss not just in economic terms, but also because these men are breadwinners and role models.

'The gap in men's life expectancy compared to women is narrowing, but is still several years. Men can have a major condition like diabetes for five or 10 years without knowing it, partly because men under 45 visit their GP less than women.'

Health screening is a very useful tool when it comes to preventative medicine. Many diseases can be prevented if the warning signs or early symptoms are caught in time. Private health insurance company Direct Marketing and Partnerships Director, Nick Read said,

'People are putting themselves at risk by not having a regular check-up and full body health screen. Preventative methods like these can pick up early signs of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Research has also shown that a screen can encourage people to adopt a healthier lifestyle.'

PruHealth have teamed up with Nuffield, BUPA Wellness, The Diagnostic Clinic and Road to Health to offer large discounts on health screens. According to Read, 'Early diagnosis can result in faster and more effective treatment. It can also have a knock-on effect on other things too, for example, critical illness cover. Whilst screenings are not compulsory, they do offer peace of mind and the opportunity to discuss ongoing health worries and possible lifestyle changes with a qualified medical practitioner.'

Even though the football screens are only offering basic of checks this is a huge step in men's health care and will hopefully encourage them to take their health more seriously and start to create a culture that demonstrates that its OK to seek help.