Men can be pretty stubborn when it comes to talking about health, but any man needing an excuse to do so definitely has one this week! Health might not be the thing we always like to talk about, but thanks to International Men’s Health Week 2014, men are benefiting from better awareness and greater confidence to tackle their problems and improve health.
International Men’s Health Week (IMHW) was established in 2002 when health organizations got together in Vienna and came up with a plan to promote male health. There are plenty of blokes around the world, but before IMHW there was not a single global campaign to raise awareness of important male health issues. IMHW is led by Men’s Health Network.
All men around the world have the right to know more about health, and for boys and men in certain parts of the world, severe problems are faced because of a lack of knowledge and awareness. Helping and supporting people and communities in these regions by raising awareness is a key goal of the event.
Raising awareness is important, and so is encouraging the development of better health policies and health services. In the U.S. alone, Men’s Health Network coordinates dozens of outreach events each year at the local, state and federal level and at this time of year there is the perfect opportunity for IMHW partners to create new male health campaigns and get men interested and proactive about their health.
So what should you take away from International Men’s Health Week 2014?
As part of Check Your Chap’s ongoing health awareness campaign and IMHW, we would ask all our male readers to grow a pair, check their chaps, and talk to their friends and partners about male health.
Be proactive and get yourself checked – don’t forget there is plenty of information and support available online for self checking and medical check-ups.