Intensions Study: Five Health Habits of Canadian Men
NEW STUDY FINDS THE MAJORITY OF CANADIAN MEN HAVE UNHEALTHY HABITS
A new study conducted by Intensions Consulting and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation has found that seventy-two percent of men regularly demonstrate two or more unhealthy behaviours, including a poor diet, smoking cigarettes, problem drinking, not exercising or not getting regular sleep.
The study, which was published in the latest edition of the Canadian Urological Association Journal, involved an online survey with 2000 Canadian men between the ages of 19 and 94 years. Through this survey the researchers discovered that:
- 20% of Canadian men were occasional or regular smokers;
- 39% of Canadian men screened positive for alcohol overuse or problem drinking;
- 49% of Canadian men did not get enough weekly exercise (under 150 minutes a week);
- 54% of Canadian men had unhealthy sleep patterns; and
- 62% of Canadian men had unhealthy diets.
“This is the first time that these five behaviours have been studied together, and they provide us with a unique way of classifying the overall health of Canadian men”, said Nick Black, Managing Partner at Intensions Consulting and study co-author. “As researchers, we were surprised and concerned by the number of Canadian men who were reporting multiple unhealthy habits.”
The study findings revealed that only 6% of Canadian men had zero unhealthy habits. In contrast, 22% had one unhealthy habit, 31% had two unhealthy habits, and 41% had three of more unhealthy habits. This finding was particularly concerning, given that each additional unhealthy behaviour is associated with an increased risk of mortality or premature death.
According to Dr. Larry Goldenberg, Professor of Urologic Sciences at UBC and a study co-author, the results give the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation a platform to study healthy behaviour of men over time. “I hope other researchers will use this platform to study different populations around the globe and design targeted interventions to engage men to live healthier lifestyles. After all, 70% of men’s chronic health conditions are caused by lifestyle and, unlike genetics, can be changed to improve your health.”
ABOUT THIS STUDY
This study, conducted by Intensions Consulting and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, involved an online survey with a sample of 2000 Canadian males between the ages of 19 and 94. The study was published recently in the Canadian Urological Association Journal. For a copy of the detailed findings, please click: http://dx.doi.org/10.5489/cuaj.5454
ABOUT INTENSIONS CONSULTING
Intensions Consulting Inc., is a Vancouver based market research consultancy. Our purpose is to find hidden insights and market opportunities for our clients. We do this through a combination of research, psychology and strategy - using statistics and emotion to explain human behaviour. Intensions conduct studies across North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific.
ABOUT CANADIAN MEN’S HEALTH FOUNDATION
Canadian Men’s Health Foundation is a national, not for profit organization established in 2014 by its visionary Dr. Larry Goldenberg and founding President Wayne Hartrick. The mission of Canadian Men’s Health Foundation is to inspire Canadian men to live healthier lives.