Men's Health Week
Encyclopedia
Men’s Health Week, celebrated annually during the week preceding and including Father’s Day, honors the importance of men's health
and wellness. Men's Health Week was chosen for this specific time of year to make use of the extra attention paid to male family members near the holiday. Observing Men's Health Week is meant to educate the public about what can be done to improve the state of men's health and provide free and convenient health services to men who wouldn't otherwise receive such care.
The governors of over forty-five states have adopted the week. Typical Men’s Health Week events include educational lectures by sports figures, free health screenings, health fairs, and seminars. Men's Health Week events are planned so that they are easily attended even by men with a full work schedule. Although not officially recognized by congress, men’s health activists observe Men’s Health Month throughout June.
Observers of Men’s Health Week are sometimes seen wearing a blue ribbon as a symbol of their support for the fight against prostate cancer. However, problems affecting men's health extend far beyond prostate cancer
and other commonly recognized men's illnesses. Physicians and men's health activists mark Men's Health Week with awareness campaigns to highlight additional health concerns such as diabetes, osteoperosis, family health, workplace accidents, and men's higher likelihood of suicide or being a victim of homicide.
(IMHW). The aim of IMHW is slightly wider than its domestic equivalent, aiming to increase awareness of general male health issues and to encourage inter- and intra-national institutions to provide better care for health issues affecting men around the world. Some affiliates of IMHW include The Men’s Health Forum in England and Wales, Men's Health Society of BC, in British Columbia, Rotary International, and the San Maarten Public Health Department in the Netherlands Antilles.
Men's health
Men's health refers to health issues specific to human male anatomy. These often relate to structures such as male genitalia or to conditions caused by hormones specific to, or most notable in, males....
and wellness. Men's Health Week was chosen for this specific time of year to make use of the extra attention paid to male family members near the holiday. Observing Men's Health Week is meant to educate the public about what can be done to improve the state of men's health and provide free and convenient health services to men who wouldn't otherwise receive such care.
Origin
Men's Health Week was created by Congress in 1994 to heighten awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys. The bills creating Men’s Health Week were sponsored by former Senator Bob Dole and former Congressman Bill Richardson. The sponsors cited the cost-effectiveness of a shift from treatment to prevention in health care emphasis when presenting the bill. The supporters of Men's Health Week also noted that prevention requires public awareness and designating a week would spread information on preventing illnesses affecting men.The governors of over forty-five states have adopted the week. Typical Men’s Health Week events include educational lectures by sports figures, free health screenings, health fairs, and seminars. Men's Health Week events are planned so that they are easily attended even by men with a full work schedule. Although not officially recognized by congress, men’s health activists observe Men’s Health Month throughout June.
Men's Health Issues
Prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is a form of cancer that develops in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. Most prostate cancers are slow growing; however, there are cases of aggressive prostate cancers. The cancer cells may metastasize from the prostate to other parts of the body, particularly...
and other commonly recognized men's illnesses. Physicians and men's health activists mark Men's Health Week with awareness campaigns to highlight additional health concerns such as diabetes, osteoperosis, family health, workplace accidents, and men's higher likelihood of suicide or being a victim of homicide.
Men's Health Week Expansion
Men’s Health Week expanded to an international level when representatives from six men's health organizations around the world met at the 2nd World Congress on Men's Health in Vienna, Austria in 2002 and resolved to work together to launch International Men's Health WeekInternational Men's Health Week
International Men's Health Week was expanded to an international level in 2002 when representatives from six men's health organizations around the world met at the 2nd World Congress on Men's Health in Vienna, Austria and resolved to work together to launch International Men's Health Week -Goals...
(IMHW). The aim of IMHW is slightly wider than its domestic equivalent, aiming to increase awareness of general male health issues and to encourage inter- and intra-national institutions to provide better care for health issues affecting men around the world. Some affiliates of IMHW include The Men’s Health Forum in England and Wales, Men's Health Society of BC, in British Columbia, Rotary International, and the San Maarten Public Health Department in the Netherlands Antilles.
See also
- Reproductive healthReproductive healthWithin the framework of the World Health Organization's definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene, addresses the reproductive processes, functions and system...
- Women's healthWomen's healthWomen's health refers to health issues specific to human female anatomy. These often relate to structures such as female genitalia and breasts or to conditions caused by hormones specific to, or most notable in, females. Women's health issues include menstruation, contraception, maternal health,...
- International Men's DayInternational Men's DayInternational Men's Day is an annual international event celebrated on 19 November. Inaugurated in 1999 in Trinidad and Tobago, the day and its events find support from a variety of individuals and groups in Australia, the Caribbean, North America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and the United...
(in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, JamaicaJamaicaJamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Trinidad and TobagoTrinidad and TobagoTrinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, SingaporeSingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, and MaltaMaltaMalta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
) - International Society For Men's Health & GenderInternational Society For Men's Health & GenderThe International Society for Men's Health is an international, multidisciplinary, worldwide organization, dedicated to the rapidly growing field of sex- and gender-specific medicine...
- BeyondblueBeyondbluebeyondblue is an Australian non-profit organisation which aims to increase awareness and improve the treatment of depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and related mental disorders...
- Men's health risks