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A Good Reminder, Too, for Men Who Hunt and Target Shoot
Posted on: May 09, 2008
NEWTOWN, Conn. — With millions of hunters and sport shooters of an age when they can benefit from preventive medical tests, the National Shooting Sports Foundation applauds the new health campaign, “Real Men Wear Gowns,” that encourages men to do the smart thing and take charge of their own health.
Longtime NSSF partner ESPN, the national sports network, launched a public service ad campaign this week urging its predominant audience — men — to pay as much attention to their health as they do to sports stars’.
Seeing the campaign struck a chord with NSSF, the trade association of the firearms and shooting sports industry, which encourages participation in hunting and target shooting.
“This campaign could easily have been targeted at men who are hunters and shooters because their health in later years will directly impact their ability to go afield or to the shooting range, not to mention enjoying these great American pastimes with their children and grandchildren,” said NSSF President and CEO Steve Sanetti.
“We’re happy to draw more attention to this important health message and ask our good friends in the outdoor media to raise awareness among men over 40, who make up a significant portion of the hunting and shooting community, about the importance of preventive medical testing.”
New research commissioned by the National Shooting Sports Foundation reveals that a main reason hunters and shooters decrease their participation over time is poor health/age. For hunters whose participation has declined, the study identifies poor health/age as the primary reason, with 42 percent citing this cause.
Health studies show that men are 25 percent less likely than women to have visited the doctor within the past year and are 38 percent more likely than women to have neglected their cholesterol tests. Also, men are 1.5 times more likely than women to die from heart disease, cancer and chronic lower respiratory diseases.
“With hunting and shooting being lifetime activities that can be enjoyed well into retirement, staying healthy, mobile and energetic translates into more days afield hunting big game, turkeys, waterfowl and upland birds and less sitting in the rocking chair thinking of the ‘good ol’ days,’” Sanetti said.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the health research division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides a preventive testing list and recommended ages for testing at http://www.ahrq.gov/realmen and you can watch the campaign’s public service announcement videos there, too. A PSA video starring ESPN’s celebrity broadcasters can be seen at http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/adcouncil/32884/.
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About Dave Langston
Outdoor writer Dave Langston resides in Chubbuck. He grew up in the Midwest and south fishing and hunting across the country.
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