Washington, DC -While government statistics may not be your idea of a great Father's Day gift, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) is urging men to think about their health on the day dedicated to dad, and consider making healthy changes to their daily routines. 

One of the very best things a father can do for his family is to take good care of himself.  According to the latest statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), dad could be doing a little better job of that.  According to the CDC, a whopping 69 percent of men over the age of 20 are overweight.  In the 35-54 age brackets, 73 percent of men are overweight.  More than 40 years ago, government statistics showed only 54 percent of men ages 35-54 were overweight.  In other words, those ties we've been buying for dads all these years have been getting a bit longer as the decades go by. 

One encouraging health trend is the reduction in numbers of men who smoke.  In 1965, 51 percent of men smoked, while in 2003 that number had dropped to 24 percent.  The number is even lower for women - with only 20 percent of women regularly smoking, according to the latest government statistics. 

"Father's Day is a great time for men to think about their health," said Dr. Rick Blum, president of ACEP. "We see many people in hospital emergency rooms due to the long-term effects of unhealthy habits.  If smokers would quit smoking and everyone watched their alcohol consumption, we would notice a drop in emergency room visits, and more importantly, people would feel better."

For the entire population, the top three reasons for going to the emergency room according to the latest CDC figures are: stomach pain, chest pain, and fever.  There were approximately 40 million visits to U.S. emergency rooms because of injuries, with the number one cause of those injuries being falls.  Conservative estimates suggest more than 2.5 million emergency room visits each year are directly related to alcohol consumption. 

"ACEP recently participated in a 'risky drinking' campaign, sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which asked the public to think twice before consuming alcohol," said Dr. Blum.  "Drinking alcohol, even in moderate amounts that some people might think would be safe, can increase your chances of visiting an emergency room - it's that simple."

Overall, there were 113.9 million visits made to U.S. emergency rooms in 2003.  Women made more visits than men in every age category with one exception: children.  Among children under 15 years old, boys outnumbered girls in emergency rooms 13.5 million to 11.2 million.  So dads, as you gather with family and friends on your special day keep a special eye on the children - especially the boys.

ACEP is a national medical specialty society representing emergency medicine with more than 23,000 members. ACEP is committed to advancing emergency care through continuing education, research and public education. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, ACEP has 53 chapters representing each state, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. A Government Services Chapter represents emergency physicians employed by military branches and other government agencies. 

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