Who Makes Healthier Choices? Married Men or Bachelors

Married Men Make Healthier Choices than Bachelors

Married men in the US are more likely to have health insurance and to get regular checkups from their physician and are likely making healthier choices overall, according to research from Mintel.

The recent survey found that more than half of married men (55%) have had a physical with a registered physician within the past year, compared with just more than one-third (35%) of their single counterparts. Single men, on the other hand, more often turn to other sources for medical information - such as the online blogs, magazines or books.

In addition, the study found that 88% of married men have health-insurance coverage, compared with just 69% of single men.

Mintel said these finding suggest that married men are more likely to seek professional healthcare when needed, perhaps because of the ability to discuss such issues with a spouse, or at the encouragement of a spouse.

“Having a spouse to confer with could also help men make the decision to seek out medical care when needed instead of sweeping the issue under the rug,” said Molly Heyl-Rushmer, senior analyst at Mintel.

Health Concerns Change with Age

The research also examined which health conditions are top-of-mind for US men. Of the health conditions men are most concerned with, heart disease and cancer lead the pack. More than four in 10 (42%) of adult men overall are concerned with developing heart disease and 40% with developing cancer.

Not surprisingly, older respondents ages 45-54, have the most concern for developing a range of conditions including vision problems (44%), strokes (44%) and high cholesterol (22%).

For younger men ages 18-24, neurological issues (26%), sexually transmitted diseases (34%) and diabetes (37%) are of the greatest concern.

Numerous studies covering 140 years have shown that married people –
especially men - tend to live longer than their unmarried counterparts. Research from the RAND Center for the Study of Aging has, in the past, found that this is likely a combination of both a protective effect - whereby the presence of a spouse helps an individual maintain better health, but also a selective effect - which reflects the possibility that healthy people are more likely to get married.

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