More than half of all premature deaths among men are preventable.

We’ll let that sink in for a moment. Pretty shocking, right? The topic of men’s health finds itself front and center during Men’s Health Month every June, but the conversation quickly fades in the months thereafter.

A new infographic from Nursing@Georgetown shines a spotlight on the current state of men’s health in the U.S., aimed at increasing awareness of preventable health problems and encouraging early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. A few more statistics:

• 60% of men aged 50 or older were not screened for colon cancer in the past year.
• 7 million American men haven’t seen a doctor in more than 10 years.
• 67% of men wouldn’t go to the doctor when experiencing chest pain or shortness of breath — two early warning signs of a heart attack. 

But it doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom. By raising awareness, advancing health education and recognizing culturally influenced behaviors, each of us can help improve men’s health. Check out the infographic below for tips on when and how often men should be tested for certain health issues.

Via Nurse Practitioner Programs and Nursing License Map

This post is written by Erica Moss, who is the community manager for the online masters in nursing program at Georgetown University.