National Men’s Health Week/ Month
June is National Men’s Health Month
and this year the theme is “Awareness. Prevention. Education. Family.”
The Department of Health is sponsoring a number of activities and events
throughout the month. The week of June 15-21, 2009 is Men’s Health Week
with the spotlight being on June 21st- Father’s Day. Some of the key
messages of Men’s Health Month are to encourage men and boys to seek
regular check ups, medical advice and early treatment for disease and
injury.
Men die younger than women from the top causes of death. As a
result, the average woman outlives the average man by 5 or 6 years. This
difference is even more pronounced for African American men. Some of the
reasons that women live longer than men are because men:
-
Die younger- and in greater numbers-
of heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes
-
Don’t take care of themselves as well
as women do
-
Are more likely to engage in
unhealthy behavior
-
Don’t seek medical attention when
they need it
-
Are less likely than women to adopt
preventive health measures
-
Are less likely to have health
insurance
-
Approximately 30, 0000 men in the US
die each year from prostate cancer
Source: Men’s Health Network
Some of the important steps that our
fathers, husbands, brothers, grandfathers, uncles and male friends can
take include the following:
-
Eat a varied diet, rich in fruits,
vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat foods
-
Maintain a healthy weight
-
Moderate exercise for 30 minutes five
times a week
-
Don’t smoke, and minimize your
exposure to second-hand smoke
-
See your doctor regularly
-
If you are over 40, get a baseline
PSA (prostate specific antigen) test
-
Manage your stress
The Department of
Health and other agencies are celebrating Men’s Health Month with a
variety of special activities and programs dedicated to increasing
awareness about men’s health issues and educating men and their families
about the importance of early detection and maintaining a healthy
lifestyle to reduce premature deaths. Visit the Men’s Health Initiative
website at
www.doh.state.fl.us
for more information.
Check out the Men’s
Health Network website at
www.menshealthnetwork.org
for additional information on men’s health
 print
this page
www.doh.state.fl.us
www.tobaccofreeflorida.com
Palm Beach County:
Florenzia Davis, PhD,MS,RD,LD/N
Senior Public Health Nutritionist
(561) 671-4000 x 4048
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