In my many years of practicing medicine, one truth has remained consistent: men are often less proactive about their health than women. That reality continues to affect health outcomes across our communities and multiple generations.

As health care clinicians, we have a responsibility to encourage better health habits among men of all ages and backgrounds. Awareness campaigns such as Men’s Health Month in June play an important role in highlighting the unique health challenges men face and the steps they can take to improve their well-being. This year’s theme, “Partners in Care: For Better Lifespans Across the Lifespan,” emphasizes the critical role families, communities and caregivers play in supporting healthier outcomes for men.

Men’s Health Week, observed June 14-21, further promotes awareness through community outreach and educational efforts. The week also includes Wear Blue Day, held on June 19—the Friday before Father’s Day—when individuals, organizations and employers are encouraged to wear blue and support men’s health awareness or fundraising activities.

The need for physical, behavioral and spiritual health cannot be underestimated. Many of the individual stressors men face result in coping habits that are detrimental to wellness and longevity. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men in the United States have an average life expectancy nearly five years shorter than women. Men are also at greater risk for serious conditions such as heart disease, lung cancer and HIV, while also facing gender-specific illnesses like prostate cancer.

Too often, men delay preventive care and routine screenings that can detect serious health conditions early. Regular visits with a primary care physician, prostate and colon cancer screenings are essential tools in reducing the risk of advanced disease. Just as importantly, health education should begin early in life so families can help boys develop lifelong healthy habits and a proactive approach to wellness.

For men seeking to take an even more active role in their health, the Wright Center’s Lifestyle Medicine initiative offers an evidence-based approach focused on sustainable healthy living. The program helps individuals and families improve their quality of life through healthier nutrition, increased physical activity, stress management, improved sleep habits, stronger personal relationships, and tobacco cessation. These lifestyle changes can significantly reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and coronary artery disease.

Improving men’s health is a shared responsibility. By encouraging the important men in our lives—fathers, husbands, sons, friends and coworkers—to prioritize preventive care and healthier habits, we can help build stronger families, healthier communities and longer lives.

William Dempsey, M.D., is chief population health value-based care officer of the Wright Center and is a board-certified family medicine physician who serves as medical director at the Wright Center for Community Health Clarks Summit. The Wright Center provides comprehensive, whole-person primary and preventive health services for men, women and children. Through the Patient-Centered Medical Home model, the center addresses a full spectrum of health care needs, and offers integrated medical, dental, behavioral health and recovery services for people of all ages. To schedule an appointment, visit www.TheWrightCenter.org or call 570/585-1300.