Archives Index  / June is Men's Health Month (posted: 06/01/11)

Source: Florida Department of Health

June 13th-19th is National Men’s Health Week

The Florida Department of Health is recognizing June as Men’s Health Month and the week of June 13 – 19, the week leading up to and including Father’s Day, as National Men’s Health Week. These two annual events are sponsored by the Men’s Health Network, based in the Washington, D.C., as an opportunity to encourage men and boys to seek regular check ups, medical advice, and early treatment for disease and injury. The Florida Department of Health’s (DOH) Men’s Health Initiative theme for the month which is “Men’s Health is a Family Affair.”

Preliminary data for 2009 from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) indicates that even though the gap is narrowing, men are still dying nearly five years earlier than women. This difference is even more pronounced for African American men. In addition to a shorter lifespan, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), men are almost twice as likely as women to die of heart disease and they have higher mortality rates than women for nine of the top 10 leading causes of death. The Men’s Health Network refers to this heightened risk of morbidity, injury and premature deaths among men as a “Silent Health Crisis” for men.

Throughout June the Men’s Health Initiative and the Office of Minority Health will host a series of activities focused on increasing awareness about men’s health issues, educating men and their families about the importance of early detection and making healthy lifestyle choices to reduce the risk of premature death. A list of the activities planned by the Men’s Health Initiative and others across the state is posted on the Men’s Health Initiative website calendar at http://www.doh.state.fl.us/family/menshealth/calendar.html and will be updated as other activities are added.

Friday, June 17th has been designated as “Wear Blue Day” and everyone is encouraged to wear blue in support of men’s health on that day. We hope you will join the Men’s Health Initiative for all or some of the activities taking place during Men’s Health Month and National Men’s Health Week. If you have a men’s health activity or event planned and would like to have it posted on the Men’s Health calendar, please send an e-mail to menshealth@doh.state.fl.us.

For more information about Men’s Health Month and National Men’s Health Week visit the Men’s Health Initiative website at http://www.doh.state.fl.us/family/menshealth or the Men’s Health Network website at http://www.menshealthmonth.org/index.html.