Men’s Health Week 2016: Rediscovering fun for life
In the lead up to Men's Health Week, men across Australia are being urged to take the time to rediscover inspiring activities and fun events in their local communities to help improve their health and well being.
Men's Health Week is the perfect opportunity for men in Australia to sit down with their family, friends, workmates and services in the local community and have a chat about life and health.
Hundreds of local events, from barbeques to special sporting matches, will be held from June 13 – 19, offering fantastic opportunities to connect the men and boys of Australia to the services and systems that can keep them healthy.
In Australia, a boy born in 2010 has a life expectancy of 78 years, while a baby girl born at the same time can expect to live to 82 years old.
Accidents, cancer and heart disease account for the majority of male deaths. Men take their own lives at four times the rate of women, with five Australian men a day losing their lives.
The Director of the Men's Health Information and Resource Centre, Professor John Macdonald, says it's important to find new and innovative methods of addressing modern population health issues and get more value out of health services, hospitals and health promotion campaigns.
"The most effective way of improving the health of Australian men is to work with communities, businesses and health services to bridge the gap between men and the health system in order to support them through their life journey", says Professor Macdonald.
"Instead of simply telling men to be more healthy, it's far more effective to promote fun and interesting activities that actually appeal, and use these events and networks to bring men closer to essential life-supporting services."
"We also need to encourage health services to reach out to men and be more 'male-friendly', as the Australian National Male Health Policy suggests."
"That's why local communities have such a big role to play, because if we want to work together to improve men's health, we must create and embrace events and community networks that consider the needs of local men, boys and their families."
Men's Health Week is a week of conversation, reflection and action on what issues impact on the health of boys and blokes in the community - and resolving to make things better.
Ends
20 May 2016
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