Dr. Kelli T. Wells is a certified family physician and the director of the Florida Department of Health in Duval County. Dr. Wells graduated from Florida A&M University and the University of Florida College of Medicine. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the Florida Association of County Health Officials, and the National Association of City and County Health Officials, the Board of Directors of Partnership for Child Health, and serves as the co-chair of the Public Health Committee of the Duval County Medical Society. June is Men’s Health Month • Men’s health issues don’t affect only men; they have a significant impact on everyone around them. • Women live longer than men, they see their fathers, brothers, sons, and husbands suffer or die prematurely. Depending on where you live in Duval County, women may see as much as a 15 year difference in life expectancy over men. • Many health issues are preventable and women are in a unique position to be able to help address the obstacles men face in living healthier lifestyles. • Women should engage men on health issues and discuss responsible sexual health, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, knowing your numbers (BP, glucose, Cholesterol, PSA), skin cancer, etc. • Women may be more familiar with visits to physicians and are aware of the need to visit a health care provider regularly. • For example, doctors suggest that men begin getting annual Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) tests in their forties, men in their twenties can take advantage of free health screenings to form good habits and build trust with their physician. • Find out whether he is more comfortable seeing a male or female health care provider and make sure he’s seeing the one he prefers. • Mothers should encourage their sons to engage in an active lifestyle, beyond high school sports. • Moms should serve and introduce a variety of healthy food options to their family. • Moms shouldn’t be shy when talking to their sons about responsible sexual health. Many boys want to have conversations with their mom. They are under pressure to engage in sexuality at a young age; let them know that abstinence is an option. Talk to them about making positive choices, being responsible; taking advantage of the teen health clinics at select area schools. • Moms can also talk to their sons about violence (staying out of trouble) & teen dating violence. For more information, visit menshealthnetwork.org Like BlackAmericaWeb.com on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter.
