13 to 19 June sees the return of Men’s Health Week for 2022.
The initiative is symbolically scheduled to occur in the week upto and including Fathers’ Day, which is on Sunday 19 June.
Men’s Health Week aims to raise awareness of preventable health problems for men and boys, support their engagement in healthier lifestyle choices and activities and encourage early detection and treatment of male health matters.
The theme this year is the ‘Man MOT’; a brief health-check to see if further attention is needed. This year’s initiative isn’t just another reminder to men to break out of their stereotype – it’s based on figures that suggest that since the pandemic, men have become even less likely to visit their GP.
In addition to its focus on uniquely male health conditions such as testicular cancer, attention will also be given to conditions which statistically affect men far more frequently than women. Chief amongst those are mental health issues – in the UK, men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Suicide is also the leading cause of death in UK males between the ages of 20 and 49.
In recent years (and increasingly so, since the pandemic), most responsible organisations have recognised the importance of promoting wellbeing amongst their colleagues. The Wellbeing Hub on [Redacted] is an imprtant part of [Redacted]‘s efforts to do exactly that, particularly in the area of mental wellbeing. Here, you can talk to a Mental Health First Aider, find books and articles that may inspire you or find an app to help you make time for yourself.
It also features this great guide to the four ‘happiness chemicals’ – and some suggested hacks to help produce them naturally. You can visit the Mental Wellbeing page here.
As part of our commitment to the general wellbeing of all our colleagues, we’re once again installing a Health Kiosk at [Redacted], this summer – from 4 July to 4 August. In minutes, you’ll be able to measure your blood pressure, weight, BMI, body fat percentage and heart rate. You can either print your results off from the machine or have your own personal report emailed to you – a perfect example of the ‘Man MOT’ that Men’s Health Week is encouraging.
[Redacted], our Head of Health and Safety was pleased to announce our support for the ‘Man MOT’:
“Whilst many of us have been focused on the pandemic over the last couple of years, we’ve taken our eye off other potentially serious conditions. This gives us even more reason to take notice of what’s going on in our own bodies and minds, so we can address what we find.”
You may have spotted that both in terms of mental health assistance and general health-checking, much of the resources we’ve made available are there for everyone – not specifically for men. But then you have to consider that much of the reason that this week even exists is to re-iterate information that isn’t new, to an audience that isn’t statistically great at acting on it.
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