Everyone on the island of Ireland is being urged to take action to improve the health of men and boys by identifying and accepting a practical and realistic health improvement ‘mission’. That’s the call from the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI) during International Men’s Health Week.
Running from Monday 13th June to Sunday 19th June (Father’s Day), this annual celebration aims to raise awareness of preventable health problems, support men and boys to live healthier lives, and encourage them to seek help or treatment at an early stage.
In recent years, a broad range of research has highlighted the challenges which face males in Ireland and further afield. Many of the key statistics, crystallised in the ‘Men’s Health in Numbers’ publications, show that …
- Local men continue to die, on average, younger than women do.
- Poor lifestyles (including smoking, drinking, diet and lack of exercise) are responsible for a large proportion of chronic diseases.
- Males have higher death rates than women for almost all of the leading causes of death, and at all ages.
- Men’s mental health needs are often under the radar and remain unmet.
- Late presentation to health services can lead to a number of problems becoming untreatable
Dr Noel Richardson, Director of the National Centre for Men’s Health in South East Technological University, reflects:
“However, this is not a ‘lost cause’, and this situation can be improved in many significant ways. For me, the key message for Men’s Health Week is that small things can really make a difference – whether it’s going for a walk, taking time out, re-connecting with a friend. It’s about doing something positive for yourself and building momentum towards positive change, one step at a time.”
Almost everyone has heard of the ‘MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE’ franchise. Each episode / film starts in the same way, with an invitation: ‘your mission, should you choose to accept it, is …’ During Men’s Health Week 2022, men and boys on the island of Ireland are also being asked to step up and to accept their own personal health challenge.
Men’s Health Week this year takes place in the context of an easing of the constraints introduced to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Worldwide, this virus had a major impact upon men’s health, as well as their wider lives. It placed a myriad of restrictions upon everyone.
However, Men’s Health Week 2022 seeks to reverse this trend, and focuses upon what we can do to take back control of our own health. All too often we set ourselves unrealistic targets. Therefore, this year, everyone is asked to focus upon small, simple and practical things to improve their health, for example:
Read the free Men’s Health Week ‘Man Manual’ at: www.mhfi.org/challenges2022.pdf
- Find out about the opening hours at their local GP surgery and visit them if they have any concerns regarding their health.
- Make at least one journey by foot or bicycle each day instead of going by car.
- Try some fruit or vegetables they’ve never tasted before or think they don’t like.
- Re-connect with family and friends.
- Join a group or take up a sport.
- Find a friend to quit smoking with and seek advice on how to stop.
- Get their blood pressure checked.
- Reflect on their own mental fitness.
Paul Ferris, Men’s Health Week 2022 Ambassador, ex-professional footballer with Newcastle United, and award winning author, comments:
From my personal experience of living with health and wellbeing issues, I appreciate that men and boys need both opportunities to improve their health, as well as support to do so. Men’s Health Week offers an ideal time to focus our attention upon the needs of males, and to make a positive and meaningful difference to their lives.
We all need to commit to realistic missions which will improve both our own health and the health of males generally. Everyone has a part to play in achieving this.”
