Mens’ Health Week begins on 14th June 2010. EMHF website editor Jim Pollard reports on activity across Europe - with all the links to further information.
When Mens’ Health Week kicks off this month, it will be the eighth such week to be marked around the world. The term 'kicks off' is particularly appropriate as this year many European countries are focusing on encouraging male physical activity. This is a timely theme following the publication of a Eurobarometer report earlier this year suggesting that one in three Europeans never exercise, particularly in the new member states.
The various men's health organisations across Europe are focusing on a variety of themes.
In the England and Wales, the Men’s Health Forum are campaigning on physical activity and hoping to get a million men more active. In Scotland, the Men's Health Forum Scotland, and Ireland, the Men’s Health Forum Ireland, are adopting similar themes. In Hungary, physical activity is being combined with cancer prevention by organisations such as the National Institute for Health Development and the Hungarian Cancer League. In Denmark, where a ‘football is healthy – if you play it’ campaign to coincide with the World Cup is being launched, organisations such as Men’s Health Society Denmark are combining physical activity with diet.
Also focusing on cancer is Italy and the Italian League against Cancer who are highlighting the importance of early diagnosis. In the Netherlands, the theme for Mannenklinieken and the Dutch Society of Sexual Medicine is ‘Men's Health: life style and risk factors’ featuring their famous erection truck. In Austria, the theme for MEN Männergesundheitszentrum Wien and others is men’s health more generally.
Physical activity, cancer and sexual health are all important issues for the EU at present.
Sports 'neatest way to link men and exercise'
With the Eurobarometer survey suggesting that the citizens of the Nordic countries are the most physically active and the citizens of Mediterranean countries and the 12 new member states, the least active, the Lisbon treaty has authorised to the EU to become active in this field. It has both carried out a consulation process to develop its first sports policy and put out a tender for ideas.
EMHF board member and former MEP John Bowis, right, said: 'Sport is without doubt the neatest way to link men and exercise. So it is great we are to have the first EU policy for sport. But it must go further and link in to another new EU initiative that is coming on Healthy Ageing. Men need to go on closing the gender gap where longevity is concerned.'
Men's cancer 'now centre stage'
The European Parliament has voted to set up European Partnership for Action Against Cancer focusing particularly on prevention.
John Bowis praised the new initiative. 'The Cancer initiative is the first to come from Commission President Baroso - at last, an example of Health in All Policies. In the past, women's cancer has made the running in Europe. Now we have men's cancer sharing centre stage and led by former Slovenian Prime minister and now MEP Alojz Peterle.'
The EU are also putting men's health centre-stage more generally having commissioned its first men’s health report. It is being put together by a team led by EMHF board member Professor Alan White of Leeds Metropolitan University in England.
EU pharmacy logo 'gives confidence'
On sexual health, action against illegal internet pharmacies is to be stepped up. A vote on the pharmacy package (pharmacovigilance and prescription medicines) at a plenary session of the Commission is expected during Men’s Health Week itself. Also elsewhere on this site is an article on the Dutch erection truck.
John Bowis said: 'As an MEP I was inundated with spams and websites trying to sell me drugs to enhance my body and solve all my health problems. In an age of the internet we need to know whether what we are seeing is bogus or counterfeit or the genuine article. The new EU rules and logo will help to give us greater confidence.'
What are you doing?
What are you doing for this year’s Men’s Health Week? At the very least make sure you know about the Vienna Declaration launched by the EMHF in 2005 to change the way we approach men’s health in Europe.
Want to know more about how the health of Europe’s citizens compares to the rest of the world? Read the EMHF’s Men’s Health Around the World: a review of policy and progress across 11 countries. The publication, launched last year, looks at the state of men’s health and the varying government responses in Australia, Canada, Denmark, England & Wales, Ireland, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, Switzerland and the USA.
