It seems that a new report on men's health vis a vis their marital status has it that "living in sin" outside of marriage is not as healthy for the average guy as being either single or married.
The "single" category includes divorced, widowed, separated or never married. The cohabiting category includes men with partners of either gender.
The study reveals single and married men are more likely to see a doctor on a regular basis than those men who live with a companion. Not only that, but cohabitating men are not as likely to have preventive screenings for cholesterol and blood pressure problems. However, the study does not assess whether men who visit the doctor more often are, in fact, healthier than those who shun doctor visits.
This conclusion is from a recent study by the National Center for Health Statistics. The study was taken among men ages 18 to 64.
Interestingly, researchers are not quite clear about the reasons why live-in boyfriends tend to shirk their health care responsibilities more than single or married men. It's not age-related. The study found that youth and old age did not skew the numbers much.
Other findings from the study by the numbers:
1. Percentage of men aged 18 to 64 with at least one health care visit in the past 12 months -- married, 76.3 percent; cohabitating, 60.3 percent; other not-married, 65.1 percent; total 70.5 percent.
2. Percentage of men who received selected clinical preventive services in the past 12 months, by marital status, 2011-2012 -- blood pressure check, age 18-64, married, 79.7% percent; cohabitating, 65.1 percent; other not-married, 66.7 percent; blood cholesterol check, age 35-64, married, 68.9 percent; cohabitating, 52.0 percent; other not-married, 56.9 percent; diabetes with hypertension, age 18-64, married, 69.8 percent; cohabitating, 47.9 percent; other not-married, 57.1 percent.
Linda Waite, a professor of urban sociology at the University of Chicago, believes the commitment to a lifelong relationship is the motivating factor for men taking better care of their health. In general, Waite says, "people take better care of their own health because it's important to their partner."
Timothy Smith, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, cautioned that poor relationships, married or otherwise, most often have a deleterious effect on the health of both partners.
"Strain and disruption in intimate relationships is associated with poor health outcomes," he said.
Even in satisfactory marriages, studies have shown that marriage "may have negative effects on healthy behaviors and may encourage a more sedentary lifestyle," leading to modest weight increases for both men and women.
