Don't be the one in five

15/06/15 . News

One man in five will die before he’s old enough to retire.

Men's Health Week, from the charity the Men's Health Forum, runs from 15 to 21 June. We are looking at healthy living.

Men are less likely to lead a healthy lifestyle. They are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol to hazardous levels and be overweight or obese.

These can lead to serious diseases such as cancer, heart diseases and stroke, the risk of which can be reduced by leading a healthy lifestyle. Our Men's Health Manifesto challenges men and health providers on these issues.

Dr John Chisholm, chair of the Men's Health Forum, said:

Men are far more likely to die young and to die from preventable conditions. At least 60% of all potentially avoidable deaths each year between 2001 and 2013 were men.

Men’s Health Week is challenging men to look after themselves including getting active, watching what they eat and, if they are over 40, getting a free NHS Health Check. Men can find more information and tips on the Men's Health Forum's website www.menshealthforum.org.uk.’ [free NHS Health Checks are available in England]

MEN’S HEALTH MADE EASY, our top tips for Men's Health Week:

Look after yourself – both mental and physical health, so

o Look after your relationships

o Don’t smoke

o Drink sensibly

o Be active

o Watch your weight

· Get advice and help as soon as you think there might be a problem - it’s your right, you’re not wasting the health professional’s time

· Turn up to your NHS Health Check and find out about screening that might be useful to you (although it’s your decision)

For more information follow these links:

Men's health man manuals

We've also got a full resource pack and our range of men's health man manuals which are available to order all year round.

The Men’s Health Forum need your support

It’s tough for men to ask for help but if you don’t ask when you need it, things generally only get worse. So we’re asking.

In the UK, one man in five dies before the age of 65. If we had health policies and services that better reflected the needs of the whole population, it might not be like that. But it is. Policies and services and indeed men have been like this for a long time and they don’t change overnight just because we want them to.

It’s true that the UK’s men don’t have it bad compared to some other groups. We’re not asking you to ‘feel sorry’ for men or put them first. We’re talking here about something more complicated, something that falls outside the traditional charity fund-raising model of ‘doing something for those less fortunate than ourselves’. That model raises money but it seldom changes much. We’re talking about changing the way we look at the world. There is nothing inevitable about premature male death. Services accessible to all, a population better informed. These would benefit everyone - rich and poor, young and old, male and female - and that’s what we’re campaigning for.

We’re not asking you to look at images of pity, we’re just asking you to look around at the society you live in, at the men you know and at the families with sons, fathers and grandads missing.

Here’s our fund-raising page - please chip in if you can.

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