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eBulletin

3 June 2019

Vol 5 No 6


THE MEN'S HEALTH WEEK ISSUE

 
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INTERNATIONAL MEN'S HEALTH WEEK 2019

Men’s Health Week 2019 starts on 10 June and is 25 years old this year!

The Week provides an opportunity for a wide range of organizations and individuals to draw attention to the poor state of men’s health, organize activities that engage men, and advocate changes to health policy and practice. In short, it puts men’s health on the map both nationally and globally.

During Men’s Health Week, GAMH will be raising global men’s health issues via social media, blogs and articles. There will a particular focus on men and self-care, using the findings of our recent report, Who Self-Care Wins. A paper based on the report has just been published in the journal Trends in Urology and Men's Health. 


We are sharing information about the Men’s Health Week activities of our member organisations and supporting their work through the provision of data, information and messages of support.

International Men's Health Week logos can be downloaded (colour here and black & white here). Please use these logos in your Men's Health Week publicity to show that this is an international event. You can also link the logos to the Men's Health Week page of the GAMH website. And use #menshealthweek in all social media work.

The latest information we have on our members’ plans is on our website here. Please keep GAMH informed about your plans so we can update and expand this.
GAMH NEWS

Governance


GAMH is now an officially registered UK-based charity! GAMH's application to the UK charity regulator (the Charity Commission) was approved in May. This is a critically-important stage in our development not least because it means that we can now approach a much wider range of potential funders. 

Our Executive Committee members have become our first trustees. These are:
  • Anthony Brown (Australian Men's Health Forum) - Chair
  • Wendy Poage (Prostate Conditions Education Council/Men’s Health Education Council USA) - Vice Chair
  • Martin Tod (Men's Health Forum, Great Britain) - Treasurer
  • Wayne Hartrick (Canadian Men's Health Foundation)
  • Gillian Prue (Men's Health Forum in Ireland)
  • Ana Tomšić (Men's Health Network USA)
Our new constitution is available here.

WHO Europe men's health strategy

GAMH will be hosting a webinar for NGOs working in Europe to discuss how they can use the WHO strategy as an advocacy tool. This will probably take place in September/October. Our European members met in May to discuss the plans for the webinar and more information will be shared as soon as it is available.

Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Wellbeing for All

GAMH has called for men's health to be explicitly included in the new Global Action Plan For Healthy Lives and Wellbeing for All. (Our response to a recent consultation can be read here - it's short because there was a strict word limit.) The Global Action Plan is a commitment by 12 global health and development agencies to advance collective action and accelerate progress towards the health-related targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 12 agencies are: Gavi, GFF, Global Fund, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, Unitaid, UN Women, World Bank Group, WFP, and WHO.
OTHER NEWS

GENDER AND HEALTH is the focus of a major series of papers in The Lancet, published on 30 May 2019. The papers take a holistic approach to gender, moving beyond the notion that it is relevant to women alone. The first paper, for example, states that 'rigid gender norms undermine the health and wellbeing of all people, regardless of age, sex, gender, or income setting'. In a section on masculinity specifically, the authors argue that:
 
'Some notions of masculinity might cause men to behave in ways that harm their own health, even as they reinforce their superior social status. The links between a broad range of masculine behaviours and negative health outcomes have been established by diverse research across settings and age groups, in areas such as not seeking medical care, reckless driving, substance use, aggression, and poor body image. ... Most notions of masculinity encourage sexual dominance, skill, and experience, which can lead to sexual risk-taking, including seeking multiple partners, not using condoms, having sex while intoxicated, and avoiding the discussion of contraception. ... Globally, nearly three-quarters of all deaths from road traffic crashes occur in adolescent boys and men. Men spend more time on the road, are more prone to speeding, and are more likely to drive under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. From Brazil to Norway, from motorcycle riders to snowmobilers, men are substantially more likely than women to experience, and to die in, vehicular crashes.'

The Lancet papers are a must-read for men's health advocates worldwide.
 
DEATHS OF DESPAIR have increased sharply in middle-aged men in England over the past 25 years, according to new research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). The death rate from suicide, drug and alcohol overdose and alcohol-related liver disease combined is now at about the same level as the death rate from heart disease. The IFS report suggests that deteriorating job prospects, social isolation and relationship breakdown may slowly be taking their toll on people’s mental and physical health.

PROSTATE CANCER UK has recently launched an advertising campaign that celebrates men. Watch the TV commercial here, featuring the words of Shakespeare's Hamlet read by actress Zoe Wanamaker (whose father Sam died from prostate cancer) and real clips of men, including men affected by prostate cancer. It has been described as 'one of the most poetic ads about men and masculinity.' The story behind campaign is here.  

MEN'S INVOLVEMENT IN prenatal care can be increased by simple interventions in clinic waiting rooms waiting rooms, according to new research published in Plos One. Environmental cues - such as photos of men and babies and pamphlets and magazines aimed at men - can make a difference. The researchers said that seeing a balance of father- and mother-focused images may help men to visualize and feel more confident in their role in prenatal care.

BOYS AND YOUNG MEN have unique health-related needs that are poorly met by existing programmes and initiatives. A new study suggests that  male-targeted interventions may be more beneficial for young men than gender-neutral programmes and that there is significant scope for further development of community and school-based health promotion programmes that target young men.

SAVE THE DATE: The next Men's Health World Congress will be in Malaysia, 9-11 July 2020. The organisers are committed to a broad-based agenda (a revised draft programme has recently been published) and have begun a discussion with GAMH about collaboration to ensure the event achieves its goals.
 


Edited by Derek M. Griffith, Vanderbilt University, USA,
Marino A. Bruce, Vanderbilt University, USA and
Roland J. Thorpe, Jr., Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA

Behavioural, social, and policy interventions to improve the health of the overall population have been less successful in reaching or improving the outcomes of men when compared with women. The field of men’s health equity explores how and why inequalities among men exist and presents evidence informing efforts to improve the health of men and reduce inequalities among them. Scholars in this field seek to use a critical lens to systematically explore the root causes of patterns of illness and disease, the specific needs of groups of men, and what can be done to improve men’s health and well-being.

Published May 2019: 7 x 10: 624pp
Hb: 978-1-138-05296-3
Pb: 978-1-138-05297-0
eBook: 978-1-315-16742-8
20% discount with code BSE19*
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Global Action on Men's Health
c/o Men's Health Forum
32-36 Loman Street
London SE1 0EH
United Kingdom

www.gamh.org
 
UK charity registration number: 1183428.
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