Men's Health Week kicks off

Men's Health Week is here with the Men's Health Forum estimating that there'll be 1500 or so events across the country over the next seven days.

The week-kicked off with the endorsement of Sven Goran Ericcson and the England football team who took time out of Euro 2004 to check out the Forum's new Cancer manual. Brian Kidd, Sven Goran Eriksson's assistant coach, is currently recovering from prostate cancer surgery, and the coaching staff took this opportunity to wish him well and back the cancer campaign.

The FA's Trevor Brooking welcomed National Men's Health Week, saying 'This is a great initiative - The FA is always keen to use football to reinforce positive health messages, reaching groups who otherwise may miss out on potentially life-saving health information. Prostate cancer, for example, affects a great number of men of my age group - what has happened to Brian shows that every man of our age is vulnerable.  It is vital that men are well-informed about the disease and that they seek advice quickly if they think they have a problem.'

The Cancer manual itself is now available at a discount in bulk from the Forum or direct from our Amazon bookshop. It was written by Forum president Dr Ian Banks with contributions from seventeen other charities and organisations, making it one of the most comprehensive books about cancer and cancer prevention available. It is published in partnership with the publishers of the Haynes' car manuals with whom Ian and the Forum have successfully teamed up in the past. The Forum gets 50p from ever copy plus, if you use this link, a commission from Amazon.

This book looks like a car manual but provides all the information a man needs to keep his body running like a finely-tuned engine and to reduce his risk of cancer. Ian says:  'The Haynes' cancer manual is a very good example of an innovative way of working effectively with men. Men are used to using information presented in this format; the 'body as machine' metaphor resonates with the way many men think about health issues; and, of course, the concept introduces an element of humour - this helps men access health information and advice. We believe the manual is a small step in the right direction and we look forward to working with the Department of Health and others to take the action necessary reduce men's risk of developing cancer.'

The Department has welcomed the week and the FA's participation in it. Now the Forum hopes the Department will also welcome the week's message. Central to the Forum's policy message this week is the publication of its policy statement on cancer, a short but timely and hard-hitting report that has already been endorsed by the Royal College of Nursing

The MHF's report, which is being launched today at Westminster, shows that cancer is now a bigger killer of men than heart disease.  Cancer is the single most frequent cause of male deaths in the UK — one man in three will receive a diagnosis of cancer at some point in his lifetime and one in four will die from the disease. 

The disparity between men and women is extremely marked: men are almost twice as likely as women to develop one of the ten most common cancers that can affect both sexes. and almost twice as likely to die from one of them

Peter Baker, Director of the Men's Health Forum, says:  'The statistics could not be clearer: men are at far greater risk of developing and dying from cancer than women. Present Government policies for the prevention of cancer are failing men and we need to introduce male-specific approaches to tackling the disease.'

During the week, eleven cancer and other charities have. for the first time, come together to urge the Government and the NHS to acknowledge that not enough is being done to prevent cancer in men or to help men recognise the early warning signs of the disease. The statement, also sent as an open letter  to many newspapers, is signed by:

Dr. Ian Banks, President, Men's Health Forum 

Hilary Whittaker, Chief Executive, Beating Bowel Cancer Charity

Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive, Breakthrough Breast Cancer

Joanne Rule, Chief Executive, CancerBACUP 

Tony Morris, Chief Executive, Cancer Black Care

Jola Gore-Booth, Chief Executive, Colon Cancer Concern

David Haslam, Chair, National Obesity Forum

Colin Osborne, President and Founder, Orchid Cancer Appeal

John Neate, Chief Executive, Prostate Cancer Charity

Steve Crone, Chief Executive, QUIT

Karen Sadler, Managing Director, Word Cancer Research Fund

Coming up on Wednesday is an adjournment debate in the House of Commons led by one of the Men's Health Forum's patrons Dr Howard Stoate MP. A full report on the All Party Group page as it happens.

• Follow the links from this story and click on Nen;s Health Week link above for more information or go to the press office link above for full press releases and embargoed material. There is also much related to the Week on the Forum's health information site malehealth including a prize competition.