News
WHO
ATE ALL THE PIES?
August
2010
Arsenal, Manchester
United, Chelsea are joined by Premier league newcomers Blackpool
when it comes to having the healthiest fans in the Premiership,
according to an NHS online survey published on 14th August.
An online survey of
25,000 supporters by NHS Choices has revealed that Blackpool are
crowned champions with over half of their fans being a healthy
weight, while 81% of Wigan fans are non-smokers and 85% of Tottenham
Hotspur fans drink within the recommended daily limits.
At the other end of
the table, Sunderland, Blackburn Rovers and Fulham have the unhealthiest
supporters in the league. Over a third of all Blackburn Rovers
fans smoke, Fulham fans drink the most alcohol in the country,
and over half of Sunderland supporters are of unhealthy weight.
Lower down the leagues,
QPR, Peterborough and Burton Albion fans top their respective
tables for being the healthiest supporters, while Hull, Hartlepool
and Stockport immediately leave the pitch for being the unhealthiest.
Peter Baker, Men's Health
Forum chief executive, said:
"We all like to
beat the opposition and this great online game gets us thinking
about our habits whilst we do it! There is a serious message from
the league table too - many of these clubs are based in areas
where too many men die prematurely."
The information is drawn
from the 25,000 fans that used an online NHS football fitness
tool since June, available at the NHS Choices: World Cup Fitness
Fan Fitness Challenge website.
For full article see
www.dh.gov.uk/en/MediaCentre/Pressreleases/DH_118623
‘SIX PACKS?'
- MEN'S HEALTH WEEK RESOURCE PACKS
w/c
14th June 2010
For
Men's Health Week (week beginning 14th June),
local campaign packs are available which include posters and leaflets
to produce eye catching displays. The theme 2010 is ‘ Physical
Health and Fitness' . The packs contain information on
prostate cancer and on staying fit and healthy. They are free
of charge to anyone promoting men's health in the district and
available from The Library and Health Promotion Resources at Lynfield
Mount Hospital , Bradford . To reserve a pack please contact the
library on 01274 223900 or at library.lynfield@bdct.nhs.uk
. Packs can be collected in person from the
Library and Health Promotion Resources and will be reserved until
7 th June 2010 or delivered to NHS sites.
These
packs constitute one of six public health campaigns provided for
the public each year. Some of the topics previously covered include;
obesity awareness, holiday health, coughs and colds, alcohol,
older people's health and smoking cessation. One of the
aims of these campaigns is to help pharmacies become more accessible
as a front line service and to offer proactive advice to the public.
Bradford & Airedale pharmacy staff can advise on issues relating
to the current campaign they display. In addition to pharmacy
staff, campaign packs are distributed throughout Bradford and
Airedale to a wide range of NHS service providers, e.g. hospital
wards, health centres, GP surgeries, and mental health and learning
disability support services and also go to libraries, schools,
colleges, community support groups, charities and voluntary
and community groups.
MEN'S
HEALTH CIRCUS - BRADFORD
26th
May 2010
Manningham Mills Community
Centre of Lilycroft Rd, BD9 5BD are organising a men's health
awareness event at the centre on Wednesday, 26th May from 12pm
to 4pm. The day comprises various stalls and information workshops,
and will include the following:
Health MOTs and a free raffle to win
food ( for those over 40 years of age), Wii Fit sessions, diabetes
health checks and information, oral Health information, mental
health awareness including workshops for stress management, stress
management in the workplace, anger management counselling, food
information from Manningham healthy Living Initiative, Tai-Chi
demonstration and a Cancer information stall.
For more information please contact
Sonia Fayyaz on 01274 281018 or email sonia@mmcabradford.org.uk
THE
BRAVE PROJECT - "MANALIVE" BOYS AND MEN'S MENTAL HEALTH
FORUM
20th April 2010
Do you worry about problems
such as: Male suicide, risky behaviour, gun/knife crime, drugs
& alcohol, violence & aggression? These and other subjects
will be discussed at a forum hosted by The BRAVE+ Project. This
above event will take place Tuesday 20th April 10.00am-12.00PM
at the Gateway Centre, Vulcan Street, Off Tong Street, Bradford,
BD4 9QY.
The day will focus
on support, raising awareness of the emotional/psychological distress
of Boys and Men, developing male focussed/strengths based interventions,
sharing 'best practice' and networking. There will also be a keynote
presentation by Don Donegan of the "Families Need Fathers'
charity, detailing some of the issues they deal with plus sharing
some personal stories.
For more information
email: the braveproject@hotmail.com
MEN'S
HEALTH - GOING FOR GOLD
March
2010
Keighley car and motorcycle
garage Colin Appleyard have invited the local men's health team
to their annual Goldwing open day to offer men a health MOT. The
open day will be held on Sunday 28 March, from 10am until 4pm,
at Colin Appleyard, Worth Way, Keighley. The open day has run
since 1991 and is open to all Goldwing owners and members.
The men's health team,
from Bradford and Airedale Community Health Services, will be
on site throughout the day to carry out the health checks. The
team have been offering free health checks to men as part of a
district wide capaign for over seven years. As part of the campaign,
the team have been stopping men in the street, targeting groups
such as taxi drivers, and visiting local businesses to carry out
the checks on male workers.
The health check is
simple and includes checks on blood pressure, cholesterol and
BMI. The team can also offer advice on living a healthy lifestyle
including information on alcohol consumption and stopping smoking.
As a result of the health
checks, a number of men have been made aware of health problems
such as high blood pressure and cholersterol and advised on how
to tackle these in order to improve their health.
Merville Pemberton,
Men's health community health improvement practitioner said:
"It is vital that
we get out into the community and offer these health checks. It
means that men who wouldn't usually visit their GP for a check
up are having a full health check and, if necessary being signposted
to services or given tips on how to improve their health and lifestyle."
For more information on the open day,
people can contact Stuart Feeny, or Barry Watson from Colin Appleyard
on: 01535 606311
MEN
URGED TO SIGN UP FOR UK'S ONLY 10K FOR MEN
March
2010
Men's Health Forum Scotland
launched the fifth annual MHFS 10k for Men, at the Palace of Art
at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, with Real Radio presenter Mark
Martin and MSP Andy Kerr pledging to take part in this year's
event.
The event, which is
the only men-only 10k in the UK, takes place on Father's Day (June
20, 2010). Participant numbers have been growing year-on-year
and this year, organisers hope to attract up to 5000 entrants.
The MHFS is determined
to get men thinking about the importance of improving their health
for the better and wants to use the event to raise awareness of
how simple lifestyle changes like increasing your activity levels
by joining a men's jogging group can have a really positive impact
on their emotional and physical wellbeing.
Mark Ward, national
co-ordinator for the Men's Health Forum Scotland, said: "The
Men's Health Forum Scotland wants to encourage as many men from
throughout Scotland as possible to take part in the 10k for Men,
whether they walk, jog or run".
For additional
information visit www.mhfs10kformen.org
MESMAC COUNSELLING
SERVICE - NOT JUST FOR MEN!
February
2010
Yorkshire MESMAC fund
counselling within Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield and North Yorkshire
for any gay or bisexual men or men who have sex with men. They
are also highlighting that women can also access their counselling
service and it is available for any female partners of men who
are attracted to men; Lesbian and bisexual women in the Bradford
and Airedale area can also make use of the service. They also
provide counselling for young lesbians accessing youth groups
run by Yorkshire MESMAC and for minority ethnic lesbians.
Claire Bergman, the
counselling organiser for Yorkshire MESMAC, the OUR project and
the Brunswick Centre emphasised that MESMAC's counselling services
are free at the point of access, fully accessible and confidential.
Claire said, "We
have a very committed and highly qualified team of forty freelance
counsellors who have all undergone training in issues faced by
our client group. For more information or to access the counselling
service please call me on counselling@mesmac.co.uk or call
07771 931 327".
INCREASED
AVAILABILITY OF BOWEL CANCER SCREENING KITS
December
2009
Bowel cancer screening
kits will soon be offered to more people in Bradford and Airedale.
The local bowel cancer
screening centre is set to increase the age group of people who
are invited to take part in the screening programme - meaning
more people will be able to have regular checks for the disease.
When the programme started
in August 2007, people aged from 60 to 69 years were sent a
bowel cancer screening kit. From January, the age group will change
so that 60 to 74 years olds who are registered with a GP in Bradford,
Airedale and Craven will automatically be invited to take part
in the programme. People who are aged over 74 can still request
a free kit over the phone.
The screening centre
is based at Bradford Royal Infirmiary and provides clinics both
there and at Airedale General Hospital.
The home kit is a simple
test designed to detect bowel cancer as early as possible, even
when people have no symptoms, so that they are more likely to
make a full recovery after treatment. The test is then processed
by a regional laboratory and the results returned after two weeks.
This is part of the
national NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, which is being
introduced throughout the country.
Dr Linda Juby, clinical
director of the Bradford and Airedale Screening Centre said: "I
urge everyone who receives a test kit to make sure that they complete
and return it - its easy to use and can be completed in the privacy
of your own home. The results are processed quickly and you and
your GP will both receive a copy."
For more information,
people can contact the national bowel cancer screening programme
free phone helpline on: 0800 7076060 or go to: www.cancerscreening.nhs.uk
NOMADIC
MEN's HEALTH IN BRADFORD AND AIREDALE
October
2009
The Health of Men team
at Bradford and Airedale Community Health Services has been offering
free health checks across the district. As part of their Nomadic
Nurses campaign, the team has stopped men in the street, targeting
groups such as taxi drivers and visiting businesses to carry out
checks.
The tests include checks
on blood pressure, cholesterol and body mass index. The team can
also offer advice on living a healthy lifestyle. More than 50
checks have been carried out over the last month. The work will
continue until the end of December and in the new year the team
hope to work with community centres and businesses around Bradford
and Keighley.
Merv Pemberton, the
men's health adviser for Bradford and Airedale Community Health
Services, said: "These health checks are very simple and
don't take long to do. It is important we offer these checks to
men as they are less likely to visit their GP when they think
they may be ill. Our aim is to raise awareness of maintaining
good health and to encourage men to seek help and advice".
To find out more contact
the Bradford team on (01274) 322169 or the Keighley team on (01535)
338706.
No
change in health INEQUALITIES from 1900
September
2009
The link between poverty
and early death is as strong today as it was a century ago, a
study shows. Despite major changes in the causes of death since
the 1900s, the association between deprivation and mortality remains
"firmly entrenched", it found.
Dr Gregory, a senior
lecturer at the University of Lancaster, looked at census and
mortality data from England and Wales from the 1900s and compared
that with data from 2001. His figures highlight the dramatic improvement
seen in early deaths over the past one hundred years. In the 1900s,
33% of deaths occurred in the under fives and only 13% occurred
over the age of 75 but a century later deaths in the under fives
account for less than 1% and 65% of deaths now occur in those
over 75.
Poverty
Dr Gregory then compared
the mortality rates in areas of high deprivation in the two time
periods. Although people's experience of poverty changed over
the years - in the 1900s it meant not having the bare necessities
for existence but a century later poverty is defined as relative
to society as a whole - the association between deprivation and
high mortality did not change.
"The extent to
which the association remained was surprising," he said.
But he said it did not necessarily mean that initiatives to reduce
health inequalities had not had an effect. "The unknown factor
is what would have happened if we hadn't done anything - could
things have got much much worse - and I suspect they could have
done."
Professor Alan Maryon-Davis,
President of the Faculty of Public Health said to some extent
the gap must have got even worse in recent years.
"In the 1900s,
it would have been infectious diseases but now it's more about
chronic diseases linked to lifestyle. The health threats may have
changed, but the gap between the haves and have-nots is still
there, and so too is the difference in mortality. This research
really drives home the message that the surest way to reduce the
health risks of poverty, is to reduce poverty itself."
- Taken from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8249092.stm
"Over
40% of men die prematurely" -
Peter
baker addressES the Royal Society of Public Health
July
2009
In July Mens Health
Forum CEO Peter Baker addressed a packed public meeting of the
Royal Society for Public Health about the current state of Men's
Health. Some of the statistics were quite startling.
"There is, quite
rightly, currently great concern about the deaths of soldiers
in Afghanistan. since 2001, about 190 have been killed. These
losses are a tragedy, and a men's health health issue in their
own right, yet almost some 275 men in England die every day before
the age of 75. that's one death every five minutes. Yet this fact
excites virtually no media interest, no discussion in parliament,
no national debate...
If you look at the data
at a ward level, there are some parts of England where male life
expectancy is as low as 65. And if you look at particular communities,
the situation is even graver. The average life expectancy for
gypsy and traveller men is estimated at 48 years. Imagine living
in a community, in this country, where you are effectively an
old man when you are in your 40s."
The
Challenges Ahead
Peter laid out some
of the men's health policy challenges we face in the UK. He identified
three particular challenges for the Department of Health.