Helping Men & Boys: Men’s Health Awareness Month Begins

Organisations across the UK, including the Movember Foundation, are continuing to raise awareness – and money – for Men’s Health Awareness month this year. 

Launched in 2003 by two friends, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery, the Movember Foundation aims to raise awareness around prostate cancer, mental health, testicular cancer and suicide prevention. 

Since it began, the campaign has partnered with countless health organisations, including the Prostate Cancer Foundation in the US and The Prostate Cancer Charity in the UK, with over 5 million people taking part. 

According to the World Cancer Research Fund, prostate cancer is the second most common form of the disease in men worldwide and the fourth most common cancer overall. More than 1.4 million new cases of prostate cancer were diagnosed in 2020 alone. 

Elsewhere, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) recorded in 2021 that 15.8 men per 100,000 died with suicide recorded on the certificate, compared to 5.5 women per 100,000. Males aged between 50-54 were found to have the highest rates of suicide in England.    

‘We’re the only charity tackling men’s health on a global scale, year-round,’ said a representative from Movember Foundation. ‘We’re addressing some of the biggest health issues faced by men: prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and mental health and suicide prevention.  

‘We know what works for men, and how to find and fund the most innovative research to have both a global and local impact.

‘We’re independent of government funding, so we can challenge the status quo and invest quicker in what works.’

In the 13 years since the project was launched, Movember have funded over 1,000 men’s health projects around the UK and aim to reduce the number of men dying prematurely by 25% by 2030.   

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