Recently Intensions Consulting and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation released a new study that found seventy-two percent of Canadian men regularly demonstrate two or more unhealthy behaviours, including a poor diet, smoking cigarettes, problem drinking, not exercising or not getting regular sleep.
The study, which was published in the latest edition of the Canadian Urological Association Journal, involved an online survey with 2000 Canadian men between the ages of 19 and 94 years. Through this survey we discovered that:
- 20% of Canadian men were occasional or regular smokers;
- 39% of Canadian men screened positive for alcohol overuse or problem drinking;
- 49% of Canadian men did not get enough weekly exercise (under 150 minutes a week);
- 54% of Canadian men had unhealthy sleep patterns; and
- 62% of Canadian men had unhealthy diets.
“This is the first time that these five behaviours have been studied together, and they provide us with a unique way of classifying the overall health of Canadian men”, said Nick Black, Managing Partner at Intensions Consulting and study co-author. “As researchers, we were surprised and concerned by the number of Canadian men who were reporting multiple unhealthy habits.”
The study findings revealed that only 6% of Canadian men had zero unhealthy habits. In contrast, 22% had one unhealthy habit, 31% had two unhealthy habits, and 41% had three of more unhealthy habits. This finding was particularly concerning, given that each additional unhealthy behaviour is associated with an increased risk of mortality or premature death.
According to Dr. Larry Goldenberg, Professor of Urologic Sciences at UBC and a study co-author, the results give the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation a platform to study healthy behaviour of men over time. “I hope other researchers will use this platform to study different populations around the globe and design targeted interventions to engage men to live healthier lifestyles. After all, 70% of men’s chronic health conditions are caused by lifestyle and, unlike genetics, can be changed to improve your health.”
The study, which was published in the latest edition of the Canadian Urological Association Journal, involved an online survey with 2000 Canadian men between the ages of 19 and 94 years. Through this survey we discovered that:
- 20% of Canadian men were occasional or regular smokers;
- 39% of Canadian men screened positive for alcohol overuse or problem drinking;
- 49% of Canadian men did not get enough weekly exercise (under 150 minutes a week);
- 54% of Canadian men had unhealthy sleep patterns; and
- 62% of Canadian men had unhealthy diets.
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| Dr. Larry Goldenberg - UBC |
The study findings revealed that only 6% of Canadian men had zero unhealthy habits. In contrast, 22% had one unhealthy habit, 31% had two unhealthy habits, and 41% had three of more unhealthy habits. This finding was particularly concerning, given that each additional unhealthy behaviour is associated with an increased risk of mortality or premature death.
According to Dr. Larry Goldenberg, Professor of Urologic Sciences at UBC and a study co-author, the results give the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation a platform to study healthy behaviour of men over time. “I hope other researchers will use this platform to study different populations around the globe and design targeted interventions to engage men to live healthier lifestyles. After all, 70% of men’s chronic health conditions are caused by lifestyle and, unlike genetics, can be changed to improve your health.”
ABOUT THIS STUDY
This study, conducted by Intensions Consulting and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, involved an online survey with a sample of 2000 Canadian males between the ages of 19 and 94. The study was published recently in the Canadian Urological Association Journal. For a copy of the detailed findings, please click: http://dx.doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.5454
This study, conducted by Intensions Consulting and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, involved an online survey with a sample of 2000 Canadian males between the ages of 19 and 94. The study was published recently in the Canadian Urological Association Journal. For a copy of the detailed findings, please click: http://dx.doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.5454