Five Steps to Good Health: Essential Advice for Men

It’s become a cliché that many men don’t take care of their health as well as women do and that they’re less likely to see a doctor. But is the cliché true? Unfortunately, data offer some support. Men are less likely to keep up with regular check-ups and get medical care than women are.¹ In the U.S., men live, on average, five years fewer than women do.²

At Pfizer, we want to change these trends and empower men with the information they need to take control of their health. June is Men’s Health Month making it a great time to remind the dads in our lives about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. 

The good news is that everyday habits can be the keys to creating and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Here are five steps to begin:

1. Establish a relationship with a primary care provider

A visit to the doctor isn’t only for times of illness. Regular checkups with a healthcare provider monitor your health to prevent illnesses from developing or worsening. As part of these checkups, a healthcare provider may review your family history, identify needed vaccines or screenings, and review your current medications and supplements. In addition, these checkups can reveal high cholesterol or high blood sugar levels before symptoms ever develop, which gives doctors a head start on managing these conditions.³ A checkup may also include a physical exam, as well as screenings for high blood pressure or diabetes.⁴

In addition, a healthcare provider can offer information and tips to empower you to make choices to improve your health each day.⁵ Building strong health and preventing illness is much easier (and less expensive) than treating a chronic condition.

2. Get recommended cancer screenings

Cancer screenings are especially important for men, who face a greater risk of developing cancer.⁶ Which cancer screening you need will depend upon several factors, including your family history and past medical history. Talk with your healthcare provider to learn if you’re due for any screenings, as well as the pros and cons of cancer screenings.

Men who are healthy and have an average risk for cancer will generally need:

• A colonoscopy or a stool DNA test for colorectal cancer at age 45⁷
• A PSA test to check for the risk of prostate cancer at age 55. Talk to your doctor about whether a PSA test is right for you.⁸
• A lung cancer screening for current or past heavy smokers between the ages of 50 and 80.⁶

While there are no recommendations for skin cancer screenings, it’s a good idea to check your skin regularly for any changes in spots or moles on your skin. If you find any suspicious changes, talk to your healthcare provider to see if they recommend a skin check.⁹

3. Keep up with vaccines

Immunizations aren’t just for children. By keeping up with recommended vaccines, adults can prevent serious diseases, as well as the illnesses that those diseases can pose later in life.¹⁰ People should talk with a healthcare provider about which vaccines are right for them.

In general, adult men should be current on vaccines for:¹¹

• COVID-19
• Flu
• Tdap
• Hepatitis B¹¹

4. Prioritize mental health

Men face a silent mental health crisis, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Men are almost four times more likely to die by suicide than women are. Less than half of men who have a mental illness received treatment for it over the past year.¹³

To address this crisis, it’s important that men acknowledge that taking care of their mental health is as important as taking care of their physical health. Often, this begins with conversations: creating environments where people feel comfortable talking about their feelings and sharing information about support services.¹²

Help is available for mental health concerns. Multiple evidence-based treatments and support systems exist that can help people heal, ranging from therapy to medication to exercise.¹³ The first step is to reach out to others to talk about concerns and to learn available options.

If men have concerns about their mental health, they can talk with their primary care provider to learn what resources are available that can help them. If someone is in crisis, they can call or text 988, the suicide and crisis lifeline, or they can chat with someone at the lifeline at https://chat.988lifeline.org.¹³

5. Build positive exercise and eating habits

Food and exercise are two powerful forms of medicine. Doctors recommend that adults have at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week, along with two days of strength-building exercises each week. Any amount of exercise will create a health benefit, though: Even short, frequent bouts of activity count toward your exercise goals. Regular exercise can help reduce one’s risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, eight types of cancer, and dementia. Physical activity also reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety.¹⁴

A healthy diet can also boost your health in many ways: It can help decrease the risk of Type 2 diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, and cancers of the colon, kidney, liver, and gallbladder. To gain these advantages, incorporate these habits into your daily eating:

• Eat a variety of foods, with an emphasis on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, proteins, and healthy oils.
• Reduce your intake of added sugars, saturated and trans fats.
• Limit portion sizes and drink in moderation.

For personalized recommendations, people should talk with their primary healthcare provider. Medical conditions may affect your nutritional needs.¹⁵

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[1] Men, Take Charge of Your Health. My Healthfinder: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. June 5, 2025. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://odphp.health.gov/myhealthfinder/doctor-visits/regular-checkups/men-take-charge-your-health
[2] Murphy SL, Xu J, Kochanek KD, Arias E. Mortality in the United States, 2017. National Center for Health Statistics. November 2018. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db328-h.pdf
[3] Physical Exam Frequency. National Institutes of Health: National Library of Medicine. June 12, 2023. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002125.htm
[4] Health Screenings for Men Ages 18 to 39. National Institutes of Health: National Library of Medicine. August 1, 2023. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007464.htm
[5] Health Checkup. National Institutes of Health: National Library of Medicine. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://medlineplus.gov/healthcheckup.html
[6] Cancer and Men. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. January 29, 2025. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/features/cancer-and-men.html
[7] Screening for Colorectal Cancer. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. October 17, 2025. Accessed June 12, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/colorectal-cancer/screening/index.html
[8] Should I Get Screened for Prostate Cancer? January 29, 2025. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/prostate-cancer/screening/get-screened.html
[9] Screening for Skin Cancer. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. July 1, 2024. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/skin-cancer/screening/index.html
[10] 5 Reasons It Is Important for Adults to Get Vaccinated. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. July 1, 2024. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines-adults/reasons/index.html
[11] Recommended Vaccinations for Adults. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. November 22, 2024. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/imz-schedules/adult-easyread.html
[12] Men’s Health Month: June 2025. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://www.nami.org/get-involved/awareness-events/mens-health-month
[13] Men’s Mental Health. National Alliance on Mental Illness. Accessed June 12, 2025. https://www.nami.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Mens-Health-Month-2025-1-pager.pdf
[13] What is Mental Health? Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. April 24, 2023. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://www.samhsa.gov/mental-health/what-is-mental-health
[14] Top 10 Things to Know About the Second Edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://odphp.health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/physical-activity-guidelines/current-guidelines/top-10-things-know
[15] Men: Eat Right, Stay Healthy. FamilyDoctor.org: American Academy of Family Physicians. April 2025. Accessed June 5, 2025. https://familydoctor.org/men-eat-right-stay-healthy