The week of June 14th through the 20th is designated as National Men’s Health Week. It was chaired in Congress by Senator Bob Dole and established in 1994 by a Senate Joint Resolution and is celebrated annually during the week preceding Father’s Day. After all, what better way is there to celebrate your father than by encouraging him to take better care of himself? National Men’s Health Week is all about exercise, good diet habits, healthy bodies, and regular doctor check-ups.
The Goal
The primary purpose of National Men’s Health Week is to encourage the early detection and treatment of diseases common to men and boys and to heighten public awareness of health problems that could be prevented. This week gives individuals and healthcare providers as well as the media and public policymakers the opportunity to encourage men to seek medical advice and treatment for diseases and injuries. As a result, there are now hundreds of events and other awareness activities in the U.S and on a global scale as well. Creating awareness is an important aspect for people to take an initiative to get the health check-up done.
Why the Focus on Men’s Health?
From the very beginning of their lives, men suffer more accidents and illnesses than women. Their life expectancy is 4 years shorter than females (81 years for women, 77 years for men). On a global scale, life expectancy for men is 70 years and 75 for women. Men commit suicide at a rate 4 times that of women. Additionally, the majority of all male deaths in the U.S. are attributed to three causes – accidents, cancer, and heart disease.
Improving men’s health is a process that involves the combination of men, women, and families along with health care providers. It’s imperative for men to make use of the health services that are available to them in order to proactively manage their health and determine if a problem exists before it becomes too late to do anything about it. However, it is equally important for health services to know how to communicate and engage with men to improve their effectiveness at treating men’s problems.
The process mentioned above is about creating and developing environments that enable all men to access effective healthcare and support services when they are needed to treat their male patients effectively. Although this is a basic starting point, it is essential to building a healthy environment that enables men to achieve better health.
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