The entire month of June is Men’s Health month! The purpose of this month is to heighten and enlighten those with awareness about the preventable health problems and diseases prevalent among men and boys. This month gives health care providers, public health officials, the media and people in general an opportunity to encourage and educate men and boys to seek out regular medical care and early treatment for any disease or injury they may have. The response to this monthly awareness campaign has been overwhelming with growing numbers each year, not just in the United States, but around the entire globe.
Within the month of June and celebrating men’s health, there is also a specific week designed to specifically highlight certain dates that men and boys should reach out to their medical care teams for treatment, diagnosis, or simply routine check-ups. Over the next few years, the dates for the Men’s Health Weeks are as follows:
- 2023: June 12th to 18th
- 2024: June 10th to 16th
- 2025: June 9th to 15th
- 2026: June 15th to June 21st
During these important weeks, media coverage and information given at doctor’s offices focus on men’s health, routine screens and prostate and cancer health. On the Friday of each of these weeks, businesses are encouraged to wear blue, which is the color for men’s health, which is typically the Friday before Father’s Day.
Are you interested in hosting a Men’s Health Week event, or getting active in your community to support men’s health?
There are many ways you can get involved in men’s health week in your local community. If there is a man in your life that is facing illness, cancer, or other detrimental health issue, consider hosting your own local event in their honor!
- Host a Wear Blue Event! Choose any day that works for you, your group, or your business. Discuss a goal amount and help raise the funds for this cause. Wear anything BLUE! Blue accessories, clothing, specially made shirts, socks, shoes, etc. During this event, consider crafting blue pins or bookmarks, and selling them for a nominal “fee,” where the proceeds go back to prostate cancer and Men’s Health Month!
- Host an All Blue Bake sale! Collaborate with a group of friends, and make baked goods to sell in your workplace, church, or gym in support of men’s health and prostate cancer!
- Plan a Small Health Fair. Make this health fair all about men’s health and get creative! If you do not have the time to plan a full fair, recruit a lot of interactive vendors that address things like overall health, exercise, heart health, prostate cancer, testicular cancer, blood pressure, diabetes, and more. Contact local doctors’ offices and nurses that work in men’s health and ask what they think should be included in this health fair.
- Create a general awareness about and for Men’s Health. There are many ways this can be done!
- Set up tables at a store, restaurant of hallway of your workplace with brochures and information about men’s health. Brochures and information can be ordered from Men’s Health Month website.
- Hold a small-town meeting on major men’s health issues, broadcasting on local free stations and networks.
- Contact churches and religious based organizations to talk about or have information on men’s health available.
- Distribute brochures and information about men’s health to men and their families.
- Talk with your City Council representatives on resolutions and ideas on how your city can officially recognize men’s health month and week, and what steps can be taken to broaden the reach of information about men’s health. If a proclamation is ordered, send that proclamation to Men’s Health Month!
- Volunteer yourself as a drivers or transportation vehicle for your male family members to get to the doctor, specialist or lab for testing. There is no time like the present, especially during men’s health month!
- Plan activities for the men in your life at home, and at work. Some simple activities that can be done over lunch hour, or even on breaks are:
- Walking
- Golfing
- Tennis
- Bowling
- Pick-up Basketball
- Softball or Baseball
- Pick-up Soccer
- Frisbee
- Flag Football
- Swimming
- Bicycling
- Hiking
- Roller Blading
- Quick Calisthenics
- Ask local newspapers or media to consider sponsoring a writing or poetry contest for those written works about men’s health. Ask people to write about the importance of being healthy and how illness affects the entire family.
- Write an article about men’s health, expressing opinions and personal stories to share with your local community.
- Write a letter to the editor in your local newspaper telling your family’s story about men’s health, early diagnosis and detection, and proper medical care and treatment.
If you do decide to take local action and bring more awareness and light to men’s health, be sure to submit any action taken to the Men’s Health month website. Their organization follows all events and work done on this cause, and they love to share what is happening around the globe for others to see and learn from. They also offer numerous resources, many free, that can be printed and handed out at your own events and causes made to support the main idea of men’s overall health!
Citations:
American Cancer Society
National Institute of Health and Human Services
LiveStrong
Men’s Health Month