The excess burden of ill health, mortality and premature death experienced by many men, and poorer men in particular, across the developed world has prompted calls for the development of gender sensitised health related services for men.  An emergent body of evidence indicates that successful public health work with men can be accomplished when it utilises elements with which men are familiar and secure.  In particular, physical activity (PA) is proven to be a useful ‘hook’ to engage men.  ‘Men on the Move’ (MoM) is a community-based PA programme designed to engage inactive men to improve their overall health and wellbeing.  The MoM programme was delivered by practitioner partnerships in diverse communities and among diverse groups of men under ‘real world’ conditions to assess both its efficacy and replicability, with a view to scaling-up the programme nationally for population-wide impact.  The purpose of this paper is to detail the protocols used in the design, implementation and evaluation of the MoM programme.  You can download it at: www.mhfi.org/MoMProtocolPaper.pdf

Researchers at NUI Galway are recruiting parents of children in Ireland under two years of age to seek their views and experiences on healthy growth and how this could best be supported.  The team is particularly keen to hear from fathers, as their views on these issues have not been captured to any great extent to date.  The study will involve one interview with a member of the research team which will last about an hour.  Interviews will be held at a time and a place that suits the participant.  Fathers will be asked about their experiences and opinions on healthy growth in young children.  All information will be kept confidential.  This study is being undertaken by Marita Hennessy, a SPHeRE PhD scholar within the Health Behaviour Change Research Group at NUI Galway, funded by the Health Research Board.  If you would like to participate, or would like more information, contact Marita at Tel: 089 2459405  |  Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  Organisations can also get in touch with Marita if they are able to facilitate the recruitment of fathers, and posters and flyers are available for this purpose.

Global Action on Men's Health (GAMH) has received funding from Sanofi to produce a report on self-care which looks at the beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of men and boys, examples of successful interventions by health and other organisations, the potential for improvement, and recommendations for action on research, policy and practice.  Improving self-care has become an increasingly important issue in health policy and practice but, to date, the gender dimension has largely been overlooked.  This project will take a global perspective, and draw on the experience and expertise of GAMH's members and others working in the field of men's and boys' health.  The survey can be accessed at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/GAMH-men-and-selfcare and should take about 15-20 minutes to complete.

This publication (released 28th February 2018) presents a comprehensive analysis of health inequality gaps between the most and least deprived areas of Northern Ireland, and within Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust and Local Government District (LGD) areas.  The report is accompanied by downloadable data tables which contain all figures, including urban and rural breakdowns.  See: www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/health-inequalities-annual-report-2018

Are you (or someone you care about) a smoker?  Would you be interested in a free six week course that will: provide support in a friendly atmosphere; help you to develop the skills to stop smoking; offer advice on stop smoking medications? ...  If so, you are invited to join a course which will run every Monday, 14th May - 25th June 2018, from 5.30pm - 7.00pm.  This will be held in the 1st Floor, Allied Therapy Suite, St. Vincent’s University Hospital, Elm Park, Dublin 4.  For more information or to book a place, Tel: 01 2214958  |  Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Belfast Community Sports Development Network (BCSDN) recently travelled to Dublin to take part in a Danderball tournament held at the Sport Ireland Indoor Arena.  Through a working partnership with the Irish Football Association and Football Association of Ireland, they brought together four teams from the North and four teams from the South of Ireland to take part in this walking football tournament.  See the video at: https://vimeo.com/257500825

Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast are conducting the first large-scale survey of prostate intraepithelial neoplasia patients and individuals with other precancerous conditions to investigate the effect of being diagnosed and living with a precancerous condition.  They are particularly interested to know more about how men feel about prostate intraepithelial neoplasia and the impact, if any, this has had on their life since diagnosis.  The findings from this study will be used to inform future healthcare service provision for individuals with precancers and will be published in a scientific peer reviewed journal.  To learn more about this study and to take part, visit: http://go.qub.ac.uk/QUBPIP1  All responses to the survey will be anonymous, and it should take no longer than 15-20 minutes to complete.

Thursday 15th March 2018 saw the launch of the 'Middle-Aged Men and Suicide in Ireland' report at the 'Men in the Middle' Men's Health Symposium in Dr Steevens' Hospital, Dublin.

Over the past ten years, the suicide rate among middle-aged men (40-59 years old) in the Republic of Ireland has been the highest of all age bands. The self-harm rate among this age group has also increased in recent years. This worrying situation is compounded by the fact that, within this cohort of men, there are a number of specific ‘at risk’ groups for whom suicide and suicidal behaviour is more prevalent.

This research - commissioned by the Men's Health Forum in Ireland (MHFI), funded by the National Office for Suicide Prevention, and undertaken by the National Centre for Men's Health in IT Carlow - explores the factors underpinning these statistics; with the aim of providing more effective and gender specific programmes, services, and resources to support men's mental health and wellbeing.  Download the full report at: www.mhfi.org/MAMRMreport.pdf