One chart tucked in the Government Operations and Audit Committee dossier for today shows that a large majority of state employees don’t like going to the doctor, and that men avoid preventive care more than women do.
The Bureau of Human Resources is among several state agencies offering performance indicators for GOAC’s review via conference call today. BHR reports that in Fiscal Year 2017, 47% of female state employees and 26% of male state employees covered by the state’s health plan got annual health exams:
Female employees’ annual exam rate has remained in the mid-40% range for the last three years. Men on the state payroll have been picking up the pace, rising from under 18% in FY2015 to over 26% last budget year. BHR’s Goal #3 is to raise those percentages to over 50% for the ladies and over 30% for the gentlemen.
In the same draft report, the Department of Health suggests that state employees are behind the general population in getting routine check-ups. DOH says nearly 80% of South Dakotans reported visiting a doctor for a routine checkup in the last two years:
Notice that the statewide gender gap in getting checkups is greatest among the younger half of men and almost disappears among the senior set.
Numerous studies find women tend to visit the doctor more often than men. Our manly resistance to getting check-ups plays a role in our increased rate of disease and decreased life expectancy compared to the fairer, healthier sex.
Hope they can figure out how to get men of any age to go for a checkup! I’ve outlived two husbands because they didn’t take care of themselves or go in for checkups!