The COVID-19 pandemic is shining a light on the state of men’s health globally.  Men are much more likely than women to die from the virus; in large part because of their greater risk of already having a serious underlying disease.  This risk is linked to the historic failure to address men’s health in policy at the global, national and local levels.

During Men’s Health Week 2020, Global Action on Men’s Health (GAMH) is launching a new report titled: 'From the Margins to the Mainstream: Advocating the inclusion of men’s health in policy'.  This examines why health policy has been a no man’s land, what opportunities exist for progress, and how men’s health advocates can effectively make their case. 

GAMH is holding two webinars, lasting about an hour each, to share and discuss the report’s findings. The first event is, primarily, aimed at an audience from Europe and the Americas, and will take place on Wednesday 17 June 2020 at 3.00pm Irish time.

The report will be presented by Peter Baker (GAMH Director). There will be short responses from Dr Noel Richardson (Director of the National Centre for Men’s Health at IT Carlow, Ireland) and Dr Rosemary Morgan (Assistant Scientist, Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA).  The webinar will be chaired by Professor Steve Robertson (Editor of the International Journal of Men’s Social and Community Health).

To register for the webinar, visit: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYuf-yurT4vHtQ-lVDYmsdFlU93Ve51Hj12

Poor mental health and wellbeing within the construction industry has become a silent crisis.  Indeed, men in construction sectors account for half of all male suicides in Ireland.

To mark this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week (18th-24th May 2020) the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) has published a new report titled 'Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment', which highlights the findings of a survey of over 2,000 CIOB members and construction workers from around the world.  Key findings include:

• Stress was the most common mental health issue experienced by respondents.
• A quarter of construction workers have considered taking their own lives.
• Multiple physical factors contribute to stress within the working environment.
• There is a lack of mental health training / awareness in this sector.

 
These findings highlight the state of mental health within the construction industry prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, and CIOB is concerned that the pandemic has further exacerbated the poor mental health of many within the industry.

A copy of the report is available at: www.mhfi.org/CIOB.pdf

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact upon men.  While there is a broadly similar incidence and prevalence to women, men: are faster at developing serious illness; recover slower from the virus; have a higher death rate.  However, there is also a broad range of mental health and social impacts upon men and the wider community which are a cause for concern.

The Engage National Men’s Health Training Programme has invited Alan White, Emeritus Professor of Men’s Health, to present his insights into why this might be so via a one hour online webinar.  This will take place on Wednesday 13th May 2020 at 11.00am.  Alan will give a presentation on the current evidence, and there will be an opportunity for the audience to ask questions afterwards.

To book a place on this webinar, send an email to Colin Fowler at colin@mhfi.org   Please note that places are strictly limited and will be offered on a first-come-first-served basis.  Only registered people can join the meeting.

Thanks a million to our colleagues at Aspect Media in Belfast for producing this eye-catching video on men and COVID-19 ...

COVID-19 is a new illness that can affect your lungs and airways.  It's caused by a virus called coronavirus.  This is spread in sneeze or cough droplets, and infects you via your eyes, nose or mouth.  Therefore, it’s important to wash your hands thoroughly and often, and to avoid touching these areas.

The main symptoms to look for are:

• a cough - this can be any kind of cough, not just a dry one
• shortness of breath
• breathing difficulties
• fever (high temperature of 38 degrees Celsius or above) or chills

It can take up to 14 days for symptoms of coronavirus to appear.  If you develop symptoms, the first thing that you need to do is to self-isolate.  It's also important to restrict your movements if you are / were in close contact with a confirmed case of coronavirus.

However, there is a lot of false information being circulated, so it is crucial to follow the official up-to-date guidance from:

* The Health Service Executive in the Republic of Ireland - https://www2.hse.ie/coronavirus

* The Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland - https://www.publichealth.hscni.net/news/covid-19-coronavirus

Are middle-aged men not interested in looking after their own mental health, or are we simply not offering them the right things in the right way? ...  If you work in the Republic of Ireland, are curious about the answer to this question, and would like to explore practical strategies to help your organisation to engage more effectively with middle-aged men, then you might be interested in a free one day workshop on ‘Men in the Middle’ - engaging middle-aged men in mental health and wellbeing.  This workshop has been developed by the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI), and is a new Unit within the highly successful and long-running ‘Engage’ National Men’s Health Training Programme.  MHFI is currently looking for groups who would like to host this free workshop for their staff / volunteers / activists.  For more details, see: https://www.mhfi.org/EngageUnit7Workshop.pdf

In December 2019, the Department of Health in the Republic of Ireland published the 12th edition of 'Health in Ireland'.  The 2019 edition of ‘Health in Ireland: Key Trends’ provides summary statistics on health and health care over the past ten years.  It highlights selected trends and topics, and includes data from newly available sources.  There are also several tables and graphs comparing Ireland with other countries in the EU or the OECD - to provide context for national performance and to assess progress. The booklet is divided into seven chapters, covering topics from population growth, life expectancy and health status, to profiles of the new regional health areas.  A copy can be downloaded from: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/f1bb64-health-in-ireland-key-trends-2019

The Sports Students as Mentors for Boys and Young Men (SSaMs) project aims to improve boys' and young men’s educational attainment and prevent early school leaving via an innovative approach which mixes gender-sensitive mentoring and sports.  The project recently launched a range of resources for both students and those who train them.  These can be accessed at: https://sportsmentors.eu/resources