They’re often dubbed the health-conscious generation, but new data suggests Gen Z’ers are more blasé about maintaining their health.
A national survey by the Cleveland Clinic found US men aged 18 to 43 are about half as likely to go to annual physicals, more likely to vape, and more inclined to seek help for mental illness compared to older generations.
Part of this is simply the fact younger people worry about their health less. Younger people are also more likely to seek medical help on TikTok and through Google searches than by talking to a primary care doctor.
But it comes at a time when cancers, including colorectal cancer, are rising among younger people at record rates and having a doctor who can screen for disease and keep an eye on patient risk factors is more crucial than ever.
Two out of five Gen Z men say they do not have a primary care provider and many said they are not sure or have never had their blood pressure checked
The Cleveland Clinic surveyed around 1,000 adult men in an educational campaign to encourage them to be more proactive about their health.
The men who participated in the survey were interviewed about their health practices between June 12 and June 25 this year.
Nearly two out of five Gen Z men (those born between 1997 and 2005) do not have a PCP.
Some survey respondents even admitted to never having had their blood pressure taken, cholesterol measured, or body mass index checked.
At the same time, the vast majority of men across all age groups — 87 percent —were concerned about how their current health habits could affect their overall health in the future.
Dr Petar Bajic, director of the Center for Men’s Health at Cleveland Clinic, said: ‘We saw in the survey that men are concerned with how the health decisions they make now will affect them in the future.
‘Monitoring key indicators in men like blood pressure and cholesterol in addition to sexual health concerns is crucial because we know that these can often signal a larger underlying health condition.’
Women are generally more proactive about their health than men. They’re also more likely to have health insurance and a regular source of health care. A major survey conducted by the Commonwealth Fund found that three times as many men as women had not seen a doctor in the previous year.
Compared to 61 percent of Gen Xers and Boomers who report getting an annual physical, only 32 percent of Millennials and Gen Z men said the same.
Physicals are suggested to occur annually to maintain overall health and catch potential problems early. They’re key for preventive care and help doctors identify trends in a person’s health that could indicate disease.
The physical typically entails taking vital signs including blood pressure and respiratory rate, as well as a physical exam of the head and neck, the heart and lungs, the abdomen, the skin, and the nervous system (it’s the test that entails hammering the knee to prompt a reflex).
Despite the discrepancies, three-quarters of all men in the study were afraid of getting cancer at some point in their lives. At the same time, screening rates for cancers, particularly colorectal and prostate, are down.
Older men were less likely to smoke or vape. Vaping specifically has become exceedingly popular among young adults while cigarette smoking rates have fallen over the past decade
The only metric in which younger men proved more proactive than older men pertained to mental health care. Older men were slightly less likely to seek out help for mental disorders
The American Cancer Society reported last year that close to 700,000 American men have yet to be screened for prostate cancer, which kills between 32,000 and 35,000 men annually.
And colorectal cancer screening, now recommended to begin as young as 45 years old, is still lower than what doctors would hope to see. Less than 20 percent of people aged 45 to 49 were up to date with recommended screening such as a colonoscopy and blood tests in 2021.
Meanwhile, around 40 percent of men 50 to 75 have not been screened recently, according to tracking by the CDC.
Millennials and Gen Zers were also more likely to vape or smoke. Just 43 percent of younger adults said they avoided both compared to 60 percent of older men.
Older men tend to be more frequent smokers than younger adults ages 18 to 24, who are more likely to vape. About five percent of 18-24 year olds and 13 percent of 25-44 year olds smoke cigarettes compared to 15 percent of 45 to 64 year olds and eight percent of seniors over 65.
The only health metric where younger men came out on top was mental health care.
Millennials and Gen Zers were more likely to seek out help for mental distress than boomers. While slightly over half of older Gen Xers and Boomers said they sought out professional help, nearly 60 percent of Millennials and Gen Z men said the same.
Researchers did not offer an explanation as to why younger men might be more willing to access help, but a decline in stigma about mental illness among younger adults and teens could be encouraging more people to get the help they need.
The survey also asked men where they go for health information. Just five percent of Boomers said they turn to social media compared to 33 percent of Gen Z men.
Many men will try online avenues for answers to their health questions before seeking out a medical doctor. In fact, most men would rather do anything else, including house chores, than go to the doctor.
