Men’s health issues and needs are numerous and complicated.  So much so, that we could probably assign a different one to highlight on each day of the year and still have an outstanding pool of ones to explore!  However, when preparing for Men’s Health Week (MHW) 2022, the all-island Planning Group felt that it would be useful to draw attention to a specific theme on each day during the week, as well as announce the final countdown to MHW during the week before.

The focus of each day will be ...

Thursday 9th June:  Men’s Health Week 2022 - the final countdown begins
Friday 10th June:  MISSION: isPOSSIBLE - the action starts with you
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

Social media (especially Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok) has become a powerful tool for organisations to spread their message.  During Men’s Health Week 2022, everyone is encouraged to ‘Post’ and ‘Tweet’ about it and, when possible, to use the hashtags: #MensHealthWeek | #MissionIsPossible | #TheActionStartsWithYou

To support this, a range of social media graphics are also available.

For those people who would like to support MHW 2022 using their own social media channels - but who don't have the time, energy or knowledge to develop their own messages - there will soon be a ready-made pool of Posts and Tweets that you can simply cut-and-paste from.  Keep an eye to www.mhfi.org/mhw/mhw-2022.html#Tweet for more details closer to the week.

Even loading a few things to social media platforms makes a huge difference to publicising the week.  This is, therefore, an easy and free way to show support for MHW.

To keep everyone up-to-date with the latest news on Men’s Health Week (MHW) 2022 - as well as more general developments in the field of men’s work - check out Facebook (www.facebook.com/MensHealthWeek) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/MensHealthIRL).

However, as all social networkers know, pages such as these are no use unless they have a lot of Fans / Followers.  That’s where your help is needed! ...  If you’re really into it, please Tweet about MHW 2022 yourself, and include the hashtags #MensHealthWeek and #MissionIsPossible in your messages.

Steve Biddulph is one of the world’s best known parent educators.  A psychologist for 30 years, his books (including The Secret of Happy Children, Raising Boys, Raising Girls, The New Manhood and Fully Human) are in four million homes and 31 languages.  They have influenced the way we look at childhood and, especially, the development of boys and men.  In this webinar - which is being organised by the Dads Direct network in Northern Ireland - Steve will share some of his insights on the important role of fatherhood.  This online event will take place on Thursday 16th June 2022, at 9.15am, and places can be booked at: https://tinyurl.com/5ftkd56m

Global Action on Men's Health (GAMH) will be hosting a series of webinars over the next 18-24 months.  The first, on Monday 6th June 2022, will focus on men's mental health.  Men’s mental health and wellbeing continues to be overlooked in policy and practice, despite increasing evidence of men’s distress and its consequences - such as alcohol and drug misuse, gambling and other addictions, body image disorders, aggressive and violent behaviours, as well as suicide.  Book a place at: https://tinyurl.com/ynxhp8ux

More than eight out of ten Irish farmers who participated in the Farmers Have Hearts Cardiovascular Health Programme made lifestyle changes to improve their heart health and reduced their risk of having cardiovascular disease, a major study has shown.  The programme engaged with more than 868 male drystock and dairy farmers in the South, Southeast and Midlands over a one-year period.  This involved completing a health check at the start and end of this period, and engaging in health-promoting behaviours such as improving diet or getting more physical activity.  Find out more at: https://tinyurl.com/4j9ujwvs

In this new Research Update, Siobhan O'Neill (Northern Ireland's Mental Health Champion), Margaret McLafferty (Research Fellow, Ulster University) and Paula Devine (Director of the Northern Ireland Life and Times [NILT] survey) explore public attitudes to mental health and suicide in Northern Ireland.  This paper is based on data from the 2021 NILT survey, and was published to coincide with Mental Health Awareness Week 2022.  Download a copy at: https://www.ark.ac.uk/ARK/sites/default/files/2022-05/update145.pdf

In April, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland published the Health Inequalities Annual Report 2022.  This publication presents a comprehensive analysis of regional health inequality gaps between the most and least deprived areas of Northern Ireland, and sub-regional gaps within Health and Social Care Trust and Local Government District areas across a range of health indicators.  Download a copy of the report at: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/health-inequalities-annual-report-2022

It is well established that HGV drivers are exposed to a number of health-related risk factors, such as shift work and long periods of sedentary behaviour (sitting), which contribute towards chronic conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.  New research, led by Loughborough University, investigated whether HGV drivers’ health behaviours could be improved using a specially designed ‘Structured Health Intervention For Truckers’ (SHIFT) programme.  The findings indicate that such a targeted health programme - including health education sessions, Fitbits, and lorry cabin workouts - can improve the activity levels of long-distance HGV drivers in the short-term.  Find out more at: https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-022-02372-7