Men are being encouraged to take action and improve their health as Men’s Health Week 2022 (MHW) kicks off today.
The theme for MHW 2022 in Ireland is ‘Mission is Possible’, and the call to action is ‘The Action Starts With You’ Focusing on asking everyone (men themselves, service providers and policy makers) to take on realistic and achievable ‘missions’ (tasks, actions, goals and objectives) which will improve men’s health.
Running from Monday 13th June to Sunday 19th June (Father’s Day), this annual celebration aims to raise awareness of preventable health problems, support men and boys to live healthier lives, and encourage them to seek help or treatment at an early stage.
In recent years, a broad range of research has highlighted the challenges which face males in Ireland and further afield.
Many of the key statistics, highlighted in the ‘Men’s Health in Numbers’ publications, show that:
- Local men continue to die, on average, younger than women do.
- Poor lifestyles (including smoking, drinking, diet and lack of exercise) are responsible for a large proportion of chronic diseases.
- Males have higher death rates than women for almost all of the leading causes of death, and at all ages.
- Men’s mental health needs are often under the radar and remain unmet.
- Late presentation to health services can lead to a number of problems becoming untreatable.
In Ireland, Men’s Health Week has grown in popularity over the last number of years, with many organisations and individuals lending their support in order to highlight the different health and wellbeing topics discussed over the week.
HSE Health & Wellbeing as a key funder of the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland, the body that co-ordinates Men’s Health week, are proud to be associated with this initiative.
Local and national events for day of Men’s Health Week 2022 will focus upon a specific issue:
- Monday 13th June: Mental fitness
- Tuesday 14th June: Prevention is better than cure
- Wednesday 15th June: Food for thought
- Thursday 16th June: Rethink your drink
- Friday 17th June: Trash the ash
- Saturday 18th June: Let’s get physical – be more than a sports spectator
- Sunday 19th June: Fathers – can make wonderful things possible for their kids
As part of Men’s Health Week every “Dad and Lad” in Ireland are encouraged to take part in their local parkrun on Saturday, June 18th at 9.30 am.
Parkrun, a HSE, Health & Wellbeing funded organisation, are encouraging men and boys of all ages to join their local free weekly parkrun – and either walk, run or volunteer.
There are parkruns dotted all over Cavan, Donegal, Sligo and Roscommon and in neighboring counties so it will not be hard to find a parkrun close to your home.
Register on parkrun.ie for your free local event. Registration is completely free and only needs to be done once, whether you intend to walk, jog, run, or volunteer. Simply complete the registration form, print your barcode and head down to your local event.
There are 130 events around the country to choose from and you can find your nearest parkrun using our event map.
Useful Links:
For more information on Men’s Health Week visit https://www.mhfi.org/
Images for use during MHW https://www.mhfi.org/mhw/mhw-image-pack.html
Parkrun Ireland: https://www.parkrun.ie/
