MGH Guides: Men's Health: Home

General Men's Health

Statistics from the CDC:

12% of men 18 and over have fair or poor health
36.6% of men 20 and over with obesity
33.1% of men 20 and over with hypertension

CDC Office of Minority Health

Men's Health Services
"Regular checkups with a health care provider are an important part of taking care of your health. Whether you have a specific health concern or just need a routine exam, Men can come to Planned Parenthood for reproductive services, sexual health services, cancer screenings, and general health care."
Information for Men
"When most people hear the term 'preconception health,' they think about women. However, preconception health is important for men, too. There are things men can do for their own health, as well as for the women and children in their lives."
Men's Health, from Medline Plus
Overview of evidence-based public health information and recommendations for male health. Includes easy-to-read publications. Search by topic. Additional resources listed.

LGBTQ+ Men's Health

Trans Men

Gay/Bisexual Men

HIV/AIDS

Men's Mental Health

"Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make healthy choices. Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood." (CDC)

Brother, You're On My Mind
"Every year, more than 40 million Americans struggle with mental illness. African American men are as likely as anyone else to have mental illness, but they are less likely to get help. The Brother, You're on My Mind toolkit provides Omega Psi Phi Fraternity chapters with the materials needed to educate fellow fraternity brothers and community members on depression and stress in African American men."
Men and Mental Health
"While mental illnesses affect both men and women, the prevalence of mental illnesses in men is often lower than women. Men with mental illnesses are also less likely to have received mental health treatment than women in the past year. However, men are more likely to die by suicide than women, according to the CDC."
Learn About Mental Health
"Mental and physical health are equally important components of overall health. Mental illness, especially depression, increases the risk for many types of physical health problems, particularly long-lasting conditions like stroke, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Similarly, the presence of chronic conditions can increase the risk for mental illness."
Suicide Prevention
"Suicide is a serious public health problem that can have lasting harmful effects on individuals, families, and communities. While its causes are complex and determined by multiple factors, the goal of suicide prevention is to reduce factors that increase risk and increase factors that promote resilience."

Tobacco Cessation Interventions and Services

Evidence

State Medicaid Coverage for Tobacco Cessation Treatments and Barriers to Accessing Treatments - United States, 2008-2018.
DiGiulio, A., Jump, Z., Babb, S., Schecter, A., Williams, K.-A. S., Yembra, D., & Armour, B. S. (2020). State Medicaid coverage for tobacco cessation treatments and barriers to accessing treatments - United States, 2008-2018. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69(6), 155–160. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6906a2
The Utilization of National Tobacco Cessation Services among Female Smokers and the Need for a Gender-Responsive Approach.
Lee, A., Lee, K.-S., Lee, D., Ahn, H., Lee, H.-K., Kim, H., Lee, J., & Seo, H.-G. (2021). The Utilization of National Tobacco Cessation Services among Female Smokers and the Need for a Gender-Responsive Approach. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18105313
Interventions for Tobacco Cessation in Adults, Including Pregnant Persons: Updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.
Patnode, C. D., Henderson, J. T., Coppola, E. L., Melnikow, J., Durbin, S., & Thomas, R. G. (2021). Interventions for Tobacco Cessation in Adults, Including Pregnant Persons: Updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force. JAMA, 325(3), 280–298. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2020.23541
Multidisciplinary barriers to addressing tobacco cessation during an inpatient psychiatric hospitalization.
Schnitzer, K., AhnAllen, C. G., Beck, S., Oliveira, Y., Fromson, J. A., & Evins, A. E. (2021). Multidisciplinary barriers to addressing tobacco cessation during an inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. Addictive Behaviors, 120, 106988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2021.106988

Online Resources

American Heart Association Resources
The American Heart Association has compiled a list of resources, both online and via phone, as well as information about the different medications and other intervention programs.
CVS Minute Clinic
CVS has put together its own smoking cessation intervention program through its minute clinic.
Smokefree
This website was created by the National Cancer Institute and is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It has access to many types of information for people who have quit recently or are looking to quit. They also have separate information for veterans, women, teenagers, and older adults.
Smoking Cessation Materials
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website
Tobacco Free Life
Information for patients trying to quit smoking from the Tobacco Free Life Organization.

Bellack Library Collection

7 Pasos para dejar de Fumar by Fisher Jr. Edwin B.
Call Number: AOD TOB 7PASO
ISBN: 8489746664
Publication Date: 2006-07-01
Basado en el premiado programa Freedom From Smoking [Registered]: 1 - Supera la primera semana, 2 - Controla tu peso, 3 - Vence la ansiedad, 4 - Identifica tus puntos débiles, 5 - Abandona el habito de una manera cómoda, segura y para siempre, Sin sermones, sin trampas y sin ningún tipo de compromiso, este libro directo y comprensivo te guía con cuidado a través de siete pasos que te llevaran a una vida mas larga y sana. Empezaras por ir directamente a la raíz de tu adicción: identificar que hace que fumes. Armado con este conocimiento, te prepararas para el día en el que dejaras de fumar e iniciaras con paso firme el camino hacia una vida libre de tabaco.
Making Weight by Arnold Andersen; Leigh Cohn; Thomas Holbrook
Call Number: MEH BOD MAKIN
ISBN: 0936077352
Publication Date: 2000-05-08
The negative body-image epidemic that affects millions of women is also a hidden problem for millions of men. In spite of a decade-long emphasis on health and fitness - or perhaps because of it - more men are suffering from a variety of eating disorders and self-abusive behaviors. Using vignettes from their patients, the authors present a new program to help men overcome these problems. They offer ways to enhance self-image, facts about why diets fail, information about the dangers of using steroids, and a section for women who want to help the men in their life.

Online Books

Get access to these electronic books from the library's collection.

Health Issues in Latino Males by Marilyn Aguirre-Molina (Editor, Contribution by); Clara Rodriguez (Contribution by); Olivia Carter-Pokras (Contribution by);...
Publication Date: 2010
It is estimated that more than 50 million Latinos live in the United States. This is projected to more than double by 2050. In Health Issues in Latino Males experts from public health, medicine, and sociology examine the issues affecting Latino men's health and recommend policies to overcome inequities and better serve this population. The book addresses sexual and reproductive health; alcohol, tobacco, and drug use; mental and physical health among those in the juvenile justice or prison systems; chronic diseases; HIV/AIDS; Alzheimer's and dementia; and health issues among war veterans. It discusses utilization, insurance coverage, and research programs, and includes an extensive appendix charting epidemiological data on Latino health.
Managing Male Ageing by Ng, Kok Kit
This book looks at aging and the health changes that happen with men.
Handbook of Smoking and Health by Charles J. Koskinen
ISBN: 9781606928653
Publication Date: 2011-07-01
This book presents and discusses current research in the study of smoking habits and the various health effects which arise due to this activity. Topics discussed include pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation; tobacco use by adolescents and young adults; genetic susceptibility to second-hand smoke; passive smoking in oral health research; influence of smoking during pregnancy on new-born health; teenage smoking and parental awareness; lung cancer in a perspective of evolutionary and dietary habits and the effects of cigarette smoking on the human plasma tocopherols levels.