Men’s Health Week 2019 theme Men’s Health By Numbers incorporates quick and easy MECC ready messaging.

Men’s Health Week takes place this week, 10th-16thJune and this year’s theme is Men’s Health By Numbers. Men’s Health Week is led by the Men’s Health Forum and with this year’s campaign they aim to make men aware of 7 key numbers that will encourage them to be mindful of their health. The numbers are:

  • 37– a waist size of 37 inches or above puts you at increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
  • 150– men should aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week.
  • 5– we should aim to eat 5 portions of fruit and veg a day.
  • 14– maximum 14 units of alcohol a week.
  • 10– cigarette smokers die 10 years younger on average than non-smokers.
  • 120/80– normal blood pressure.
  • 75- 75% of suicides (3out of 4) are by men.

Men’s Health Week is an excellent opportunity to start implementing MECC conversations in your own workplace. These number based facts are a great way of raising awareness about various health related issues when you are having MECC conversations with men next week and in the future. You can use these as a lead in to a conversation about smoking cessation, alcohol harm, mental wellbeing, physical activity and healthy eating services. Remember you can then use the MECC Moments signposting tool to find the details for the appropriate service.

The Men’s Health Forum also want to encourage policy makers and service providers to be aware of the following messages with regards to men’s health:

  • 1 man in 5 dies before the age of 65
  • 2 men in 5 die before the age of 75
  • 3 out of 4 suicides are by men
  • Men in unskilled work are 3 times more likely to take their own lives than men in senior management
  • The richest men live on average 10 years longer than the least well-off men

You could make a genuine difference to a person’s life and start to change these numbers by having a quick MECC chat with someone today and signposting them to services that can help via the service directory.

There are plenty of resources and further information about Men’s Health Week, including FAQ’s for each topic area here.