Men’s Health Week 2021, held recently in June, was once again a fantastic online success. Men’s Health Week (MHW), runs annually and always finishes on Father’s Day, has been going from strength to strength in Ireland over the past few years. HSE Health and Wellbeing are a key supporter and funder of the work behind the scenes, supporting Men’s Health Week for many years in conjunction with a large number of external partners. Similar to 2020, the MHW Co-ordinating Group led by the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland, co-ordinated a series of virtual activities. Such was the early engagement with the topic of men’s health online #MensHealthWeek was trending on Twitter early Monday of MHW and stayed in the top seven trending items for a number of hours. Men’s Health remained as an ongoing trending topic during June.
Partner membership expanded this year for Men’s Health Week. There were 96 different agencies who all played their part in promoting and developing messages for their target groups of men and boys. We also saw an increase in groups seeking resources (posters, Man Manuals, webinars) for MHW from workplaces, e.g. Construction Industry Federation, ESB, CSO, etc.
Key Highlights of the Week:
- The HSE Health and Wellbeing webinar, part of their ongoing ‘Engaging Men’ Webinar Series entitled the ‘How of Men’s Health’. Hosted by Lorcan Brennan from the Men’s Development Network and with an audience of nearly 300 on the day, presentations were very insightful and engaging from men’s health experts. Special guest David Brady, GAA pundit and Mayo GAA legend, spoke about how he reached out to people during lockdown in 2020 and the importance of engaging men in simple conversations. David also did several radio interviews where he spoke about the work he did and gave some key messages around men’s health. If you missed this webinar you can look back by clicking here.
- Key health promotion messages, such as Quit and Ask About Alcohol were targeted at men, which resulted in an increase in online engagement with men. Our colleagues both in the HSE and in our external partners took part in several webinars and media interviews on local and national radio and television, to highlight and encourage men to consider making positive lifestyle changes. Radio Nova ran a segment on men’s health for each day of the week and Dr Mark Roe was interviewed on Ireland AM, which was very positive.
- The Shed’s for Life Impact Report was launched virtually by Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly, the report highlighted very significant health gains for men who participated in the study across a broad range of health and wellbeing issues. The ongoing work on the ‘Sheds for Life’ programme highlights the valuable contribution men’s sheds are making to promote health and wellbeing for men. You can read more on the report by clicking here.
If you would like an further information on any of the initiatives above please visit the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland.