Men's Health Week
By Milan Turnbull
Men’s Health week is an annual global campaign with the goal of increasing awareness of male health issues. First established in the United States in 1994, Men’s Health Week later developed into an international event following the World Congress on Men’s Health in 2002.
Each year, Men’s Health Week takes place in the week leading up to Father’s Day. This timing is deliberate to maximise interest by linking important health advice with already male-focused messaging.
The campaign aims to increase awareness of preventable mental and physical health conditions alongside encouraging early detection and treatment of health issues in males and supporting men to make healthier lifestyle choices.
One of the biggest challenges in improving men’s healthcare is the apparent reluctance to consult a doctor. Consistently it has been shown that men are more likely to delay seeking medical help until symptoms interfere with daily life, often this has the immensely detrimental effect of allowing a disease to progress before treatment, which can have serious consequences. Research found that whilst men do care about health issues, they often find it difficult to express these concerns due to personal factors such as anxiety, fear and stigma with societal expectations around masculinity also contributing.
Another possible cause of the underutilisation of health services is poor health literacy amongst men, with studies finding men to be twice as likely to have inadequate health knowledge as women. In addition, poor lifestyle choices including a lack of physical activity, poor diet and high alcohol consumption can have very dramatic negative effects on men’s health.
This year’s campaign in the UK, led by Men’s Health Forum, focuses specifically on men and the pharmacy. Men are significantly less likely to use a general practice or pharmacy, the awareness week intends to focus on the unexploited opportunity in this relationship to greatly improve men’s health, with pharmacies being a more informal, casual and accessible source of healthcare and therefore potentially more attractive for people to discuss health issues.
Many of the health problems affecting men are preventable and treatable, making raising awareness one of the most critical steps in improving mental and physical health outcomes. The World Health Organisation recommends that for good health men should:
- Have regular check ups
- Reduce alcohol use
- Quit smoking
- Eat better
- Be more active
Small and consistent changes add up over time to have significant and meaningful improvements in mental and physical wellbeing.
While awareness, prevention and early diagnosis is essential to men’s health, access to effective treatment is also critical. At Pharmora we support clinical research projects helping contribute to development of innovative treatments and bringing new medicines to patients across a range of health conditions.
Men’s Health Week continues to highlight the importance of supporting others in feeling comfortable discussing health concerns and seeking help when needed, also demonstrating the value of continued medical research. By combining greater health awareness with ongoing scientific innovation, we can help improve health outcomes for the future.
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References
Practice News – Mens Health Week – Rough Hay Surgery (Training Practice)
How to celebrate Men’s Health Week in the workplace
No man’s land: men, illness, and the NHS – PMC
Men’s health: They put off GP visits – then came a tipping point – BBC News
No man’s land: men, illness, and the NHS – PMC
Key data: understanding of health and access to services | Men’s Health Forum
The leading cause of preventable death in men is heart disease | PocDoc
