Men's Health Awareness

The purpose of a Men's Health Awareness Initiative is to heighten the awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men in the workplace. This health initiative offers employers information and an opportunity to encourage men to seek regular medical advice and early treatment for disease and injury.

Government Policy

The context for the provision of health checks in the workplace is set out in the 2005 government policy 'Health, work and well-being – Caring for our future' A strategy for the health and well-being of working age people.

This joint Department of Work and Pensions; Department of Health and Health and Safety Executive publication states that:-

‘Our strategy for the health and well being of working age people is a crucial part of delivering on the Government’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of the working age population. This is a central element of our wider reform and is set out in the Government’s White Paper ‘Choosing Health’. The strategy states that: ‘It has been estimated that absence due to sickness costs around £12 billion each year – with costs to the public sector representing around £4 billion.’

The Benefits of Health Checks for the Employer

To achieve improvements in workplace health, men need to be more pro-active in relation to their health care. Providing Health and Well-Being Checks for Men in the workplace can provide a useful tool for tackling health issues and preventing ill health.

A health and well-being check would be with a Registered Nurse/Occupational Health Adviser. An assessment would assist men to think pro-actively about their personal health and in addition they can be offered advice, for example in weight management or smoking cessation. For some men a referral to a GP for a follow-up consultation on a specific health issue may be appropriate.

The Benefits of Health Checks for the Employees

Methods involved in assessing an employee’s health now include assessment of body mass index, blood pressure, blood glucose and blood cholesterol. These assessments allow the occupational health nurse to engage with the employee in a wide ranging discussion on health and lifestyle issues such as smoking, alcohol consumption, family history of illness and risk factors, health eating (including ‘5 a-day’), exercise and physical activity, weight reduction, emotional health and well-being.