Look after your health

I’ve booked an appointment to see my GP. There you go. I’ve said it. The cat is truly out of the bag. Why am I choosing to share this, usually covert, operation with my contemporaries? As my partner will attest, I’m one of the 48 per cent of men who think it is normal to avoid regular health check-ups. I’d like not to be one of the staggering 62 per cent of 1.3 million men who, despite being offered a free NHS health check, failed to engage. A conformer to traditional masculine norms of self-reliance and stoicism; I am guilty as charged. Perhaps it’s no wonder then that men are facing a national mental and physical health crisis.

My catalyst for change was our recent CSP event, where we teamed up with Movember, for an evening of networking and education on men’s health. Stark realities were brought home. When you look at life expectancy, suicide rates and avoidable causes of death, we lag behind women. The data is even more shocking when we take into account ethnicity, geography, socio-economic background, and sexual orientation. If you are a trans-man, the inequalities widen even further. 

So, whilst in part, this is me accepting accountability for my health, it is also a call on us all to challenge the stigma surrounding men’s health.

While the patriarchy and traditional ideas of masculinity say men should be strong, we should be tasked with re-learning how to take accountability. As healthcare professionals, we all have a role in checking our biases and attitudes towards masculinity.

Creating a safe space where men are removed from the stereotypical attributes and expectations of how they should behave can help enhance healthy self-esteem and a sense of responsibility within themselves in order to seek help. I’d implore you to read The Real Face of Men’s Health report (Movember Institute of Men’s Health 2024) to help raise awareness of health issues disproportionately affecting men.  Now it’s time for me to hit send to the editors and get to this GP appointment...it might not even be that bad.