38 per cent said they go to their doctor less frequently than once a year, though in the over-55s the figure was a little lower, with over half of the 1307 respondents attending at least once every six months.

Wives and partners appear to play an influential role in their loved ones’ health, with almost a quarter saying they would go to their GP more often if their wife or partner told them to.

The internet is also thought to play a part in these statistics – as many as 64 per cent have consulted the web for medical information; of those 77 per cent said they were likely to use the Internet to look for symptoms of illness; 66 per cent to search for advice; 44 per cent to look for medical research; and 43 per cent to search for drugs and medications – a worrying statistic, with many unregulated online pharmacies, counterfeit drugs and repackaged branded medicines all-too-readily available.

These findings were confirmed by Professor Ian Banks, President of the European Men’s Health Forum.

“It is well known that men attend their GP half as often as women, and that they probably delay seeing their doctor, particularly when they have an embarrassing medical condition,” he said.

”Men in particular should be reminded that buying medicines via the Internet without considering consultation is no substitute for an accurate diagnosis by a health care professional of what may be a serious, underlying medical condition.”

Some 30 per cent of men have consulted the Internet for help with an embarrassing condition. According to Hitwise, the online intelligence service, the most searched for pharmaceutical term on the internet during September 2007 was an erectile dysfunction medicine.

• For those seeking help for erectile dysfunction problems, information and advice is available online at www.erectionadvice.co.uk. The website offers confidential and tailored advice on ED. More general health information for men is available from the Men’s Health Forum at www.malehealth.co.uk.