This week is International Men’s Health Week, and the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI), in collaboration with nearly 100 partner organisations, has issued a challenge to men across the island of Ireland to become an ‘Action Man’ and to follow ten tips to improve their health and wellbeing.
PHOTO CAPTION: Staff from PJ Hegarty Building Contractors – famous for building the M50, Thomond Park and Dublin’s Terminal 2 – got Mens Health Week off to a fine start when they received copies of the ‘Action Man’ manual.
Thousands of events have been arranged to celebrate this occasion on the island of Ireland, according to MHFI. The week always begins on the Monday before Father’s Day and ends on Father’s Day itself, so this year runs to Sunday June 18.
The week aims to raise awareness of preventable health problems, to support men and boys to live healthier lives, and encourage them to seek help or treatment at an early stage.
At the heart of the week’s activity is a new tips manual called ‘Action Man: Ten top tips for men’s health’, written specifically for males in Ireland. It was officially launched yesterday. However, to date, 30,000 hard copies of this publication have been handed out, in addition to over 40,000 electronic downloads.
It comes on the back of research showing clearly that the health of men and boys on the island of Ireland is unnecessarily poor. While the health of men generally in Ireland is poor, it can be improved by various means.
“The manual doesn’t preach or lecture, it simply explains why an action is needed, what can be done about it, and how to find support,” says Colin Fowler of MHFI.
The publisher’s slogan for the tips manual reads: “Reading this booklet could seriously improve your health!”
Of interest, Ireland was the first country in the world to have a National Men’s Health Policy which was succeeded by the Healthy Ireland – Men Action Plan (itself, currently being updated).
More information:
- Full overview of Men’s Health Week 2023: mhfi.org/mhw/mhw-2023.html
- Men’s Health Week posters and images: mhfi.org/mhw/mhw-image-pack.html
- Briefing paper which answers the most common questions about the week: mhfi.org/mhw2023toolbox.pdf
- Social media: facebook.com/MensHealthWeek and www.twitter.com/MensHealthIRL
Why focus on men’s health?
Not too long ago, society was unaware of the full extent of men’s poor health status and the specific health issues that face them. However, this is no longer the case. In recent years, a broad range of research has highlighted the health challenges which face men in Ireland and further afield. The MHFI provided the following examples:
Men’s Health in Numbers: Trends Report (PDF, 10.7MB)
Irish Men’s Health Report Card (PDF, 1.7MB)
Northern Ireland Men’s Health Report Card (PDF, 1.9MB)
Getting Inside Men’s Health (PDF, 1.5MB)
Men’s Health in Northern Ireland: Tackling the Root Causes of Men’s [ill] Health (PDF, 965KB)
A Report on the all-Ireland Young Men and Suicide Project (PDF, 2.73MB)
Facing the Challenge – The Impact of Recession and Unemployment on Men’s Health in Ireland (PDF, 1.9MB)
A Report on the Excess Burden of Cancer among Men in the Republic of Ireland (PDF, 2.95MB )
The State of Men’s Health in Europe (PDF, 3.63MB)
Middle-Aged Men and Suicide in Ireland (PDF, 4.49MB)
