Make men's health a priority!

I was standing in line at the grocer’s recently when I overheard a mother telling her son he needed more exercise, or he would end up looking like his “overweight father.” She continued, saying, “You know, your father never exercises, eats horrible, and his doctor has told him to change, or else.” Trying to be inconspicuous, I looked over at her son, and observed a young man, clearly struggling with his weight, eating a large candy bar. Looking over at me, the mother said, “My son is too young to have health problems.”

While these types of conversations can feel awkward and never come off with perfection, they are necessary if we are going to positively influence younger and older men to strive for good health. Well, this mother’s timing was impeccable, because June is Men’s Health Month! (Men’s Health Week, which begins Monday, 9 June 2014, concludes on Father’s Day, as observed in the United States.) I shared with her how a male friend had gained so much weight he developed diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

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I also told her my story had a happy ending because my friend began exercising, lost weight, and his cholesterol and blood sugar returned to normal levels. Amazed, she concurred that more men need to pay attention to their health. Of course, I took the opportunity to inform her that June is, indeed, Men’s Health Month, and that community events would be held, such as health fairs, that specifically target men’s health.

As you think about the men in your families and communities, let’s do more than just encourage them to check out all the activities in June that target men’s health. We need to go with them and support their efforts to be screened early for potential health problems.

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International. Comments are moderated. Those that promote products or services will not be posted.