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Man MOT Haringey

kristinm — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 08:16:46 +0000

Man MOT Haringey

Help the MHF with a new project for Haringey Men.

The MHF is running a new project in partnership with the Haringey Council and other partners to provide an online health service designed by and for men in the borough.

Man MOT Haringey will enable you to go onto your phone or computer and chat directly to a health professional - no appointment. It’s a great idea but to make it work best for the blokes in the borough we need your help.

Please sign up below for more information. We want to hear from anyone interested - health professional, academics etc. but especially from men in the borough who would like to have an input into what we do.

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admin — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:40:50 +0000

Male mental health: what's the problem?

We can't make it any more black and white than this:

Please share.

The Men's Health Week podcast!

admin — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 06:26:39 +0000

The Men's Health Week 2013 Podcast

How are you?

Different takes on male mental health. Comedian John Ryan with a dose of optimism and a shot of attitude and therapist Adam Thearle on how the NHS can help with fast-acting, drug-free support. The ideal i-listen. You'll never feel the same again.

I'd rather admit I love John Ryan!

Let's talk about it - Men's Health Week

colin — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:47:56 +0000

I’d rather admit I can’t get it up... Let’s talk about feeling crap

In the UK, over 4500 men kill themselves each year and two-thirds of drink-related deaths are male. More men hang themselves than die on the roads.

Men's Health Week starts today and the Men’s Health Forum is challenging men to talk about feeling crap before acting on it and challenging health professionals to help them do it.

Feeling down is a bigger taboo than pretty much anything else for many men. The MHF's new campaign tries to highlight this by suggesting a whole host of embarrassing subjects that men might be MORE likely to admit to than admitting to a mental health problem. Some are amusing - such as a liking for Justin Bieber - and some are deadly serious - like erectile dysfunction.

Men and women experience mental health problems in roughly equal numbers, yet men are much less likely to be diagnosed and treated for it.

The consequences can be fatal – the Men’s Health Forum has long highlighted that 3 in 4 suicides are by men and that 73% of people who go missing are men.

Slogans used in the new Men’s Health Week campaign include:

I’d rather admit I can’t get it up... Let’s talk about feeling crap
I’d rather admit I like Justin Bieber... Let’s talk about feeling down
I’d rather admit I’m a bad driver... Let’s talk about feeling down
I’d rather admit I hate football... Let’s talk about feeling down

Martin Tod, chief executive of the Men’s Health Forum, said:
'Suicide is the unspoken killer taking the lives of far too many men. Many men suffer alone or seek solace in drink. We have to find ways to make it easier for men to talk about their health before it’s too late.'

'There are things that are hard for many of us to talk about and feeling crap is one of them. This is how men talk – if we get the words out we would say we’re feeling crap, not that we’re feeling ‘a little sad’.'

'If all men could talk about how they were feeling with confidence, I don’t think we’d be looking at horrific figures like these. Whatever the problem, your GP has heard it before. And these days there are telephone and online options too. Don’t bottle it up.'

Men and mental health stats

kristinm — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 13:04:58 +0000

Men and mental health - the numbers

Despite men and women experiencing mental health problems in roughly equal numbers, men are much less likely to be diagnosed and treated for it and the consequences of this can be fatal¹ – the MHF has long highlighted that 75% of all suicides are by men and that 73% of people who go missing are men².

The Health & Social Care Information Centre 2009 household survey found that about 2.7 million men in England currently have a mental health problem like depression, anxiety or stress.

Mind research has found that 37% of men are feeling worried or low with the top three concerns being job security, work and money. One in seven men may develop depression within six months of being made redundant³.

Men less frequently attend primary care services, including dental services, ophthalmic services and pharmacy, as well as GP surgeries⁴. Men are also in a minority of those who use telephone advice and help lines provided by healthcare charities⁵. Men have measurably lower access to the social support of friends, relatives and community⁶.

Men are more likely to suffer from personality disorders (5.4% of men compared to 3.4% of women)⁷.

Prisoners and homeless

90% of rough sleepers are men⁸. Homeless men (70% of the single homeless population), die at much younger ages, particularly from 30 to 64, thus, 30 years before the average population⁹.

Men make up 94% of the prison population¹⁰. 72% of male sentenced prisoners suffer from two or more mental disordersand 62% of male sentenced prisoners have a personality disorder¹¹.

Suicide

The Office for National Statistics counts 4,552 male suicides in the UK for 2011, compared to only 1,493 female suicides. The highest suicide rate was in males aged 30 to 44 and in those aged 45 to 59 the suicide rate has increased significantly between 2007 and 2011¹².

According to the latest suicide prevention strategy for England, males are three times as likely to take their own life as females. Among the high-risk groups are young and middle-aged men, people in the care of mental health services, people with a history of self-harm and people in contact with the criminal justice system¹³.

Alcohol & Drugs

Men are more than twice as likely to suffer from an alcohol use disorder (38% of men compared with 16% of women), and three times as likely to be in the most severe category of alcohol dependence (6% of men compared to 2% of women)¹⁴.

According to a study by the UCL Department of Epidemiology and Public Health 44% of men and 31% of women drink more than the weekly guidelines¹⁵.

There are more alcohol-related deaths in males than in females, with 67% of all alcohol related deaths in the UK in 2010 being male¹⁶.
Men are also around twice as likely to regularly use all types of illicit drugs; among adults aged 16 – 59, the reported use of any illicit drug over the past twelve months was 13% for men and 7% for women¹⁷.

Mind research found that young men (18 to 24) are five times as likely to take recreational drugs when worried as young women (5 per cent of men compared to 1 per cent of women)18.

79% of drug-related deaths occur in men¹⁹.

Boys

Boys are performing less well than girls at all levels of education²⁰.

Boys are 4 times more likely to be diagnosed as having a behavioural, emotional or
social difficulty²¹.

Over 80% of children permanently excluded from school are boys²².

___________________________________________________

Sources:

1 Wilkins, D. Untold Problems: A review of the essential issues in the mental health of men and boys. London: Men’s Health Forum 2010.
2 Biehal, N., Wade, J. and Mitchell F. Lost from view: Missing persons in the UK. Bristol: Policy Press 2003.
3 Kivimaki, M. (2007) cited in: Mind. Men and mental health: Get it off your chest. London: Mind 2009.
4 White A. The State of Men’s Health in Europe (Extended Report). Brussels: European Commission 2011.
5 Men’s Health Forum. Men and long-term health conditions: a policy briefing paper. London: Men’s Health Forum 2007.
6 Boreham, R., Stafford, M. and Taylor, R. Health Survey for England 2000: Social capital and health. London: The Stationery Office 2000.
Pevalin, D. and Rose, D.: Social Capital for Health: Investigating the link between social capital and health using the British Household Panel Survey. London: Health Development Agency 2003.
7 Rethink. Personality disorders factsheet. London: Rethink 2009.
8 Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Rough sleeping, the government strategy. London: Rough Sleepers Unit 1999.
9 Crisis. Homelessness: A silent killer. A research briefing on mortality amongst homeless people. London: Crisis 2011.
10 Ministry of Justice. Population in custody: Monthly tables, March 2009. England and Wales. London: Ministry of Justice 2009.
11 Social Exclusion Unit. Mental Health and Social Exclusion. London: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2004.
12 Office for National Statistics. Suicides in the United Kingdom, 2011. ONS 2013.
13 Mental Health and Disability Division. Preventing suicide in England. A cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives. Department of Health: London 2012.
14 Granville, G. 'Alcohol misuse': in Wilkins, D., Payne, S., Granville, G., and Branney, P. The gender and access to health services study. London: Department of Health 2008.
15 Boniface, S., Shelton, N., UCL Department of Epidemiology and Public Health. How is alcohol consumption affected if we account for under-reporting? A hypothetical scenario. European Journal of Public Health, OUP: London 2013.
16 Office for National Statistics. Alcohol-related deaths in the UK, 2010 ONS 2012.
17 NHS Information Centre. Statistics on drug misuse: England 2008. London: NHS Information Centre 2008.
18 Mind. Men and mental health: Get it off your chest. London: Mind 2009.
19 The Information Centre for Health and Social Care. Statistics on Drug Misuse: England, 2008. Leeds: NHS Information Centre 2009.
20 Department for Children, Schools and Families. GCSE and equivalent examination results in England 2007/08 (revised). London: Office for National Statistics; 2009.
21 Department for Education and Skills. Gender and education: the evidence on pupils in England. Nottingham DfES Publications 2007.
22 Department for Children, Schools and Families, Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive cited at The Poverty Site, Joseph Rowntree Foundation 2008.

Want to talk for Men's Health Week?

admin — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:17:53 +0000

Want to talk about it?

Can you help us with Men's Health Week?

For this year's week (10-16 June 2013), the Forum is encouraging men to talk about whatever's on their minds. To do this well, we need men who are happy to share their story with the us and the wider media. If you've had an experience of a mental health problem, of living with it and/or the treatment for it which you'd like to share, we want to hear from you.

If you'd like to help, please contact our press officer Colin Penning.

Let's talk.

PhD Bursaries at Leeds Met

kristinm — Tue, 14 May 2013 10:02:56 +0000

PhD Bursaries at Leeds Metropolitan University 2013

Leeds Met offers PhD bursaries for students interested in Men and Health.

Leeds Metropolitan University is currently seeking applications for PhD bursaries. Professor Alan White and Professor Steve Robertson are particularly keen to attract applications from talented and enthusiastic individuals interested in the field of men and health.

Please feel free to contact them for an informal discussion (s.s.robertson@leedsmet.ac.uk or a.white@leedsmet.ac.uk).

For more information click here.

The Closing date for applications is 7th June 2013.

John Chisholm new chair of MHF

admin — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 16:28:23 +0000

Former GP leader is new MHF chair

Leading GP Dr John Chisholm has been appointed chair of the Forum.

Dr Chisholm is a long-term supporter of and advisor to the MHF on self-care and men’s access to primary care. He had a high profile role in negotiating the new contract for NHS general practitioners.

Dr Chisholm has been a member of the Council of the Royal College of General Practitioners for eight years, and has held a number of elected positions at the British Medical Association (BMA) culminating in leading GPs’ negotiations with government for seven years. He has also held positions on a large number of other UK committees and organisations, including bodies advising the government.

John said: 'I am delighted to have the opportunity to chair the Men’s Health Forum - an organisation whose work I have always made time to support. We now know a lot about how to improve men’s health but there is still a lot to do to put that knowledge into practice and make a real difference to men. I look forward to building on the MHF’s many successes.'

John Chisholm replaces Professor Alan White as chair of the Men’s Health Forum. While leader of the Forum, Alan became the world’s first professor of men’s health. One of the organisation's founders, he had been chair since the MHF became an independent charity in 2001. Thanks for everything, Alan.

John's appointment is the latest in a series of developments designed to position the Forum to operate in the new funding climate and to work with the new NHS. Earlier this year the charity appointed a new chief executive, Martin Tod, who had previously held senior positions at Shelter, Vodafone and Procter & Gamble.

Last week the Department of Health announced that the MHF will continue to be one of its voluntary sector strategic partners working with NHS England and Public Health England.

MHF part of government strategic health team

colin — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:32:23 +0000

MHF helps government improve health and wellbeing

The Forum has been named as one of 21 organisations that will be part of the Health and Care Voluntary Sector Strategic Partner Programme. The programme will see the Forum working with the Department of Health, NHS England and Public Health England to improve men's health.

The scheme also provides a way for the MHF to work a network of local voluntary and community sector organisations to help tackle men's health problems in their areas.

The Forum earned its place on the programme following an assessment process which saw fewer than one third of the 66 organisations and coalitions who applied being recruited for 2013-14.

'Legal duty'

MHF CEO Martin Tod said 'This important partnership and the funding that comes with it will help us tackle the high rates of premature death in men and it will provide us with more opportunities to remind the public sector that they have a legal duty to tackle men's health.'

The MHF has worked with the Department of Health and other charities in the past but this new programme includes the new bodies NHS England and Public Health England and a new mix of organisations and coalitions.

Norman Lamb, the Care and Support Minister, said 'I am delighted that these 21 organisations will share £3.5m to help them work in partnership with the Department, NHS England and Public Health England as part of a new system-wide Health and Care Voluntary Sector Strategic Partner Programme for 2013/14.

The voluntary sector has a valuable role to play in improving health and wellbeing and this new programme will help develop and build strong and productive partnerships with the sector and support organisations to build capability more widely.'

The MHF is now working with others on the programme to draw up a co-ordinated plan of work.

Man MOT’s pilot phase is over

kristinm — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:11:26 +0000

Successful Man MOT pilot ends

The pilot phase of ManMOT, the MHF’s online consultation service which enables men to chat to a health professional online, anonymously, confidently and for free, has come to an end.

The ManMOT team would like to thank everyone who used the service and filled in the survey to help improve ManMOT even further.

Jim Pollard, the editor of ManMOT, said: ‘Thanks very much for all your feedback. It will be a great help for our work on ManMOT. We are determined to create a service that is designed by men for men.’

Following the pilot we will be evaluating the site and the service with focus groups, engaging with stakeholders via telephone and analysing all the feedback sent via the site and the survey.

Man MOT will be back soon in new guises and in new places. Watch this space and sign up for the newsletter at http://manmot.co.uk/ for the latest news.

Three reasons why men don’t get enough help

kristinm — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:57:00 +0000

Men are getting less help than women

An Anglo-Australian online survey revealed the top three reasons why men are less likely to access help and support from services and social projects.

There are fewer support services targeted specifically at men
Services supporting men receive less funding than services supporting women
Most help-giving services are female-orientated and this can be off-putting for men

Frontline professionals working with men in healthcare, social work and mental health services have agreed that men are getting less help because fewer support services are targeted directly at them, which contributes to men’s shorter life expectancy.

The research, carried out by Helping Men in the UK and Men’s Health Services Australia, also found that services for men receive less funding than those for women. A third barrier for men is that most services are female-orientated and make men feel at unease in a female environment.

As a starting point for their survey, the researchers compiled a list of ten barriers that men and boys face when receiving support, based on a review of research by organisations like Age Concern, Mind UK, the Men’s Health Forum, Samaritans, the European Men’s Health Forum and Mankind UK.

'Male pride' matters less than inflexible opening hours

Health care professionals both from the UK and Australia rated these barriers, considering which were most relevant in their experience, on a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 meaning ‘strongly agree’ and 1 indicating ‘strongly disagree’. Even though the study was conducted with a small sample of 37 UK frontline workers and 44 Australian professionals, clear trends became visible.

UK workers ranked social barriers higher, stating that men and women deal differently with problems and men are socially conditioned as strong, independent and not in need of help. Australian experts considered systemic barriers more relevant, such as the unavailability of services for men due to restrictive opening hours and the failure to market services to men. However, social stigmas and the ‘male pride’ were less seen as obstacles.

The results of the survey clearly reflect Big Lottery’s report on ‘Invisible Men: engaging more men in social projects’, which stresses the issue that men are more resistant to seeking help from others. It also points out that men are less likely than women to take time off work to seek help and therefore need services with flexible opening hours. The outcome of the online survey underlines Big Lottery’s recommendation to specifically target men and to reach them in environments, which are mainly considered as female domains.

Male life expectancy still less than female

kristinm — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 11:06:49 +0000

Men are a generation behind women

European men still do not live as long as women did in 1980.

According to the 2012 European health report, the flagship publication of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, issued every three years, people in the European region live longer and healthier lives than ever before but there is a 7.5 year gap between the life expectancy of men and women.

In other words, men are a full generation or more behind women in life-expectancy - 1980 was the year John Lennon was shot (remember where you were when you heard?), Margaret Thatcher was a new and insecure prime minister and a pint of beer was 35p. A long time ago.

Dr Ritu Sadana, editor-in-chief of the report, said: ‘A major success for the European region is that life expectancy has increased by five years since 1980, reaching 76 years in 2010. But the downside is that the benefit is not equally shared across countries. Men are lagging behind women in life expectancy by an entire generation. In 2010, men had not yet reached the average level that women enjoyed in 1980.’

The research, comparing figures from nearly 900 million people in 53 countries, reports a fundamental and persistent inequality between life expectancy at birth for men and women.

Whilst life expectancy increased by five years since 1980 thanks to better control over communicable diseases, reduced premature mortality and improvements in living conditions and health services, women reached on average 80 years in 2010 and men only 72.8 years. The study puts this gap across all 53 countries down to lifestyle and occupational differences between the genders. Figures for the UK show an average life expectancy of 82.5 years for women and 78.5 years for men in 2010.

Boozing and smoking are main risks

Tobacco and harmful alcohol use are the leading health risk factors. According to the study, alcohol consumption in Europe is the highest in the world, accounting for about 6.5 % of all deaths. Among the estimated 27% of the European population aged 15 years or over, who are smoking tobacco regularly, the smoking prevalence among men is twice as high as among women.

The research also reports higher rates of diseases of the circulatory system among men, accounting for 50% of deaths in the region. 80% of deaths are caused by noncommunicable diseases, 20% by cancer, which has replaced cardiovascular diseases as the leading cause of premature death in 28 of the 53 countries.

Alan White, chair of the Men’s Health Forum, said: ‘That many men's life expectancy is still below that seen in women in the 1980's reinforces the need for the health of men to be seen as a high priority for public health policy, practice and research. It is imperative that we find ways of helping to reduce needless deaths in our young men. It is very encouraging that the WHO has made this statement and it is hoped that this indicates they are going to have a stronger focus on men's health.’

statistics source: The European health report 2012: charting the way to well-being (WHO, 2012)
image source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/

Three million affected by diabetes

kristinm — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:12:36 +0000

Men more likely to be diagnosed as diabetes tops three million

The number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK has reached three million for the first time – and men get it more easily.

Since middle-aged men particularly are at a higher risk of developing diabetes than women, the figures from the new research by Diabetes UK should be a warning sign for British men.

A new analysis carried out by Diabetes UK in collaboration with Tesco found that 4.6% of the UK’s population are affected by Type 2 diabetes, a condition where there is too much glucose in the blood.

According to the study, the number of people suffering from the condition has increased by 132,000 during the last year and it is estimated that a further 850,000 have undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.

Researchers from research institutes including the Scottish Diabetes Research Network Epidemiology Group at University of Glasgow suggest in a report published in 2011 in Diabetologia that men are more easily affected by Type 2 diabetes.

Middle-aged men at higher risk

The condition is more common among middle-aged men of European descent since they are diagnosed with diabetes at a lower body-mass index than women.

Whilst multiple factors such as age and family history influence the risk of getting diabetes, the major indicator is overweight. Men, however, have to gain less weight to develop the condition, partly because they are generally more insulin resistant than women, as the study reveals.

Barbara Young, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK said: ‘We are hugely concerned that the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has reached three million for the first time and there is no reason to think this will mark the end of what has been a rapid rise in the condition.’

Burden for the NHS

Every year 24,000 people in England and Wales with diabetes die earlier than expected. Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in people of working age in the UK and is a major cause of lower limb amputation, kidney failure and stroke. The rising number of people affected ‘is already putting huge pressure on the NHS and will have potentially devastating consequences for those people who develop the condition’, as Young puts it.

She recommends early identification of people at high risk of developing the condition and increased care and support for patients of Type 2 diabetes. Tesco’s national partnership with Diabetes UK funds the biggest ever public awareness campaign on Type 2 diabetes risk factors, research into a vaccine for Type 1 diabetes and hopes to raise £10 million to support people with the condition as well as the estimated 7 million people at high risk.

Image source: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/
Statistics source: Do men develop type 2 diabetes at lower body mass indices than women? (Diabetologia, December 2011, Volume 54, Issue 12, pp 3003-3006)

Now our online GP needs your help

admin — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:06:32 +0000

Help Man MOT with its conversions

Our new Man MOT website is thinking of sending for England rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson. Why? Because we need more conversions.

Man MOT enables men to log on to manmot.co.uk and chat to a GP online.

The next Man MOT surgeries are:

Wednesday 10th April 12-2pm and
Monday 15th April 7-10pm.

A survey of the data after a month of the service's three month pilot period is that Monday is more popular than Sunday. But perhaps more interesting is the fact that only around 6% of visitors actually go on to talk to a GP.

Man MOT site editor Jim Pollard said: 'We're not sure why the conversion rate is so low. Understandably people want to check the site out but if you'd asked us beforehand I think we'd have estimated that at least 10% of visitors would want to take advantage of the chance to ask a GP about anything at all, anonymously and free. We're not sure what the concern is - but that's what the pilot is for.'

Jim has blogged about the problem on the Man MOT website and is urging as many people as possible including those who visit the site but don't talk to a GP to complete the evaluation survey - it'll take less than 10 minutes.

Health in UK lags behind Europe

kristinm — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:40:41 +0000

Still the sick man of Europe

A new study comparing health outcome developments in 19 nations from 1990 to 2010 suggests that British men die younger than they should and the UK is performing worse than many other EU states.

Despite considerable changes and investments in the British health care system over the last decade, the health of the UK population lags behind that of comparable countries.

The report UK health performance: findings of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 examined the patterns of health loss in the UK and the leading preventable risks and compared the developments in mortality, causes of death and life expectancy with those in 14 other EU states, as well as Australia, Canada, Norway and the USA.

Whilst mortality in the UK decreased and life expectancy improved by 4.2 between 1990 and 2010 other nations have done better in the improvement of their citizen’s health outcomes.

Colin Penning, external affairs officer at the MHF said 'This is another reminder of how many men die too young. Our Lives Too Short campaign shows this too and now the NHS and local authorities' public health teams must finally take action that improves men's health.'

Spain and Italy do better

People in Spain and Italy live longest before being affected by disease and disability, around 70.9 and 70.2 years. Figures for the UK only show a healthy life expectancy of 68.6 years.

According to the study, the UK seems to have done well only in the health care for men over 55. In men younger than 20 years and older than 55 years, mortality rates fell by 40% during the last decade. Worrying, however, is that for some adult age groups figures nearly have not changed at all.

Mortality rates for men aged 30-34 have fallen by a mere 3.7% within 10 years and in all age groups younger than 55 the UK rank for mortality and premature death has worsened substantially.

Tobacco and alcohol main risk factors

The report states the leading risk factor to be tobacco, alongside increased blood pressure and a high body-mass index. The contribution of Alzheimer’s disease to death rates has increased significantly. Also alcohol is a major problem, with cirrhosis and drug use disorders being major risk factors for premature mortality.

The top causes of years of life lost are heart disease, cancers, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The UK also has the 11th largest difference between life expectancy at birth and healthy life expectancy. Most years lived with disability in the UK are due to mental and behavioural disorders and musculoskeletal disorders.

Even though the UK has provided universal free health care for six decades, overall health outcomes are still significantly below the average compared with other nations.

Statistics source: UK health performance: findings of the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010 (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA, March 2013).

Alcohol consumption higher than we admit

kristinm — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:19:30 +0000

Are half of England’s men binge drinkers?

New research suggests that alcohol consumption in England is much higher than previously assumed - with more than three quarters of adults drinking in excess.

A study conducted by the UCL Department of Epidemiology and Public Health for the first time considers the implications of under-reporting for alcohol consumption beyond the guidelines. According to international social surveys, the self-reported consumption accounts for only 40–60% of total alcohol sales in England.

Sadie Boniface, lead author of the study published in the European Journal of Public Health, says: ‘Currently we don’t know who consumes almost half of all the alcohol sold in England. This study was conducted to show what alcohol consumption would look like when all of what is sold is accounted for, if everyone under-reported equally.’

Based on the General Lifestyle survey and the Health Survey for England 2008, the research shows that 44% of men and 31% of women drink more than the weekly guidelines of 21 units per week for men and 14 units for women introduced in a Royal College of Physicians report in 1987.

The prevalence of drinking more than recommended becomes even more obvious in the figures for the daily limits of 3 units for women and 4 units for men. The research found that 75% of men and 80% of women exceeded the daily guidelines on their heaviest drinking day in the last week.

Binge drinking is defined by the Department of Health as consuming more than double of the recommended limits in one session, with 8 or more units for men and 6 for women. Assuming equal under-reporting across the population, the UCL study suggests that about half of men and women can be classed as binge drinkers. Both sexes are equally as likely to binge drink in a single session but men are significantly more likely to exceed the weekly thresholds.

The researchers consider the under-reporting a serious issue for the assessment of alcohol consumption in the UK. According to the study those on high incomes and those living in deprived areas are most affected for binge drinking.

Find out here how much you are drinking.

Homelessness takes 30 years off men's lives

kristinm — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 16:28:30 +0000

Homelessness kills men 30 years earlier

The UK’s first international homeless health conference will focus on improving health services for homeless people, 70% of whom are men.

A study investigating homeless mortality in England for the period 2001-2009 suggests that the average age of death for homeless people is shockingly low at 47 years old, compared to an age of 77 for the general population.

Homeless men, who make up the majority of the single homeless population, die at much younger ages, particularly from 30 to 64, thus, 30 years before the average population.

The research conducted by Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people, highlights different causes of deaths for people living on the streets.

Suicide 9 times higher

Whilst the main causes, cancer and cardiovascular disease, remain the same as for the general population, drugs and alcohol, often combined with mental health problems, account for over one third of all homeless deaths.

Homeless people are also 9 times as likely to commit suicide and often killed through external factors such as traffic accidents, infections and falls.

At the international homeless health conference, taking place on 27 and 28 February in central London, a wide range of health experts from the UK and overseas, including Anna Soubry MP, Minister for Health, will focus on homeless people’s health needs and address the health costs and consequences of homelessness.

According to a mental health trust, the costs of treating homeless people are estimated at £2 million. A major hospital has calculated that it would save £5 million a year if homeless people had better access to health services. The conference, organised by the Faculty for Homeless and Inclusion Health and promoted by Pathway, a new national health homeless charity, will address the issue of better identification and treatment of homeless people.

Statistics source: Homelessness: A silent killer. A research briefing on mortality amongst homeless people (Crisis; December 2011)

MHF report on relationship support for men

kristinm — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 09:10:28 +0000

Can we work it out?

A new report from the MHF has revealed the lack of emotional support for men in relationship difficulties.

Try to see it my way: Improving relationship support for men, published with Relate, explores men’s attitudes to seeking relationship support. It is part of a national awareness campaign from Relate to encourage men to think about their relationships and increase their participation in support programmes such as psychological therapies and relationship coaching.

According to the report, men have less access to emotional support from relatives and friends than women, are less likely to seek professional help for personal problems and less likely to consult relationship counselling services. They are more prone to ‘avoidance strategies’ such as the increased consumption of alcohol.

The report suggests work is a key factor. Men’s tendency to work longer working hours can cause relationship problems and conflicts around the life-work balance while financial difficulties can increase pressure on the male, who is often still the primary breadwinner in the family.

A new birth also often triggers relationship issues.

MHF policy officer David Wilkins, who wrote the report said: ‘I hope we have moved past the "men are from Mars and women are from Venus" debate but we can't ignore the evidence that some men don't look after their health and wellbeing as well as they could. It's a particular problem that men may be more likely to delay seeking help. Support services need to meet men halfway.’

Building on the recommendations of the report, the MHF is encouraging the government and support providers to make it easier for men to access relationship help and to collaborate with GPs and employers to support men who experience relationship difficulties. It also recommends sex and relationships education as part of school programmes.

Men's Health Week 2013 in June will look at mental health and say to men You only live once so talk to someone.

Download full report: Try to see it my way: Improving relationship support for men

Male mental health survey

admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:56:14 +0000

Desperately seeking 200 men

Researchers are looking for 200 more completed surveys for their landmark investigation of suicide and gender.

Chartered psychologist and research co-ordinator, John Barry of UCL explained the importance of the study. 'It is widely known that the rate of male suicide is at least three times higher in men than for women. Although research into the reasons for suicide often covers issues like mental health and demographic factors, issues related to gender tend to be overlooked. Our new survey has been launched to correct this omission.'

The findings are expected to be published later this year. Meanwhile, can you help? You don't need to be suicidal, just have a little time to complete a survey which may help male mental health. For further information, or to take part in the survey, contact the Men's Mental Health Research Team.

Our team for Lambeth and Southwark

kristinm — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 12:05:04 +0000

Our team to tackle men's health in Lambeth and Southwark

The MHF has its team in place for its biggest-ever men's health improvement project.

Following the launch of the five-year Men’s Health Improvement Programme for Lambeth and Southwark, the Men’s Health Forum has now recruited the staff needed to examine the health needs of men in these boroughs.

Project Officer (community development) Errol Franklin and Project Officer (business and service development) Damian Shannon will work with local communities to see what men's needs are and to develop new health services that could be launched in other localities too. They'll be linking up with Steve Zwolinsky, a research officer from the Centre for Men’s Health at Leeds Metropolitan University.

Errol said: ‘A priority for the project is to engage with local men of Lambeth and Southwark to find out about their health concerns, the way services are being accessed, and how best to deliver services acceptable to men.’ Damian said it was critical to begin by ‘engaging with men as much as possible’.

MHF has 'strong record'

Lambeth and Southwark lag behind the national average with a life expectancy of only 77 and 78.2 years for men, compared to other boroughs, such as Kensington and Chelsea, where the life expectancy of men is over 85 years.

Oliver Smith, Director of Strategy and Innovation at Guy's and St Thomas' Charity, who are backing the innovative MHF project, is enthusiastic about the programme’s success. He said: ‘The shorter life expectancy in men when compared to women is an inequality that is often overlooked. MHF has a strong record in addressing this issue and we are pleased to be funding this exciting and ground breaking work.’

MHF CEO Martin Tod added: ‘We are excited to have the chance to make a real difference to men's health in Lambeth and Southwark. We believe this is the largest and most concentrated effort ever made to improve male health in one particular area. Although we're starting in one area, this project will have a national impact.’