Take care of employee well-being it is the duty of every company that wants to maintain an engaged, productive and satisfied team. In this sense, there is a topic that deserves to be discussed further: the male health and disease prevention. The reason for this is that many men tend to neglect their own health.
In one study the Reference Center for Men's Health in São Paulo, 70% of male people who came to see a doctor, they did so only at the request of their wife or children. Among them, more than half postponed going to the office and arrived with diseases in advanced stages.
On the last IBGE research, the number of medical consultations carried out by women 80 million those made by men. With this in mind, we have listed in this post some tips to make employees aware of men's health and disease prevention:
- create awareness campaigns;
- partner with doctor's offices;
- encourage the practice of sports;
- promote healthy eating;
- talk about mental health.
Do you want to know more about these actions? Check out the details below!
1. Create awareness campaigns
Awareness campaigns they are always a good way to open dialogue on male health and disease prevention, as they reach a large number of people.
An interesting tip is to take advantage of big campaigns like Blue november style=”font-weight: 400;”>, which focuses on the prevention of prostate cancer. In Brazil, one in six men is the target of the disease, which is the second most common malignant tumor among men, as confirmed by the institute World Cancer Research Fund.
A date like this, dedicated to talking about such a relevant topic, cannot go unnoticed in companies. For this reason, it is worth scheduling a month full of events and actions to put the matter on the table. Below are some examples of what can be done:
- graphic materials, such as booklets and pamphlets;
- special decoration;
- stickers WhatsApp;
- videos with inspiring stories from employees;
- challenges, games and interactive activities.
please note that these ideas don't just apply to Blue November. They can be used in spontaneous campaigns throughout the year, linked not only to male health, but also to prevention in general.
2. Partner with doctor's offices
To promote male health and disease prevention, it is possible to offer employees discounted or even free consultations. Everything will depend on the type of partnership that the company makes with doctors' offices.
Some organizations, including allocate medical teams partner hospitals within the building, to further facilitate access to consultations and examinations. Having health monitoring on a daily basis can contribute for men to do check ups more constant and do not ignore your own health.
3. Encourage the practice of sports
Sedentary lifestyle affects 70% of UK citizens, according to a lifting United Nations Development Program. And the influence of this problem on people's health is terrible: the lack of physical activity contributes to cardiovascular problems, diabetes and some types of cancer, among other diseases.
Therefore, when it comes to male health and prevention, the sedentary lifestyle it is an important point of attention. Despite exercising more than women, the rate of men who do not engage in any physical activity is still high: 57.3%, according to the National Human Development Report.
Despite this, companies have something in their favor to reverse this situation: many men are highly attached to the sport, even if it’s just watching it on TV. So, how about promoting initiatives to put them into action in this universe that they love so much?
Create sporting events for your team, such as football matches or running groups. In addition to encouraging body care, there is the benefit of increasing interaction and bonding between colleagues in the company.
Partnerships with gyms or academies in the company, if there is a structure, are also great tips. The easier it is to access physical activity, the greater the chance that the employee will start practicing.
4. Promote healthy eating
O care with nutrition it is also an important part of the dialogue on male health and prevention. Because they care less about health than women, many men end up having bad eating habits, such as consuming too much junk food, fried foods and fatty foods in general.
Although, everything we eat influences our body. Therefore, a poor diet can, in the long run, cause chronic diseases, such as obesity, high cholesterol and heart problems, among others.
It is important to educate employees in this regard, with lectures and internal events dedicated to the subject.
It is also the company's role facilitate access to healthy food, with a balanced menu in the cafeteria, snacks quality in the afternoon and follow-up with nutritionists.
With awareness and prevention, the results can be very positive in the food of the company's men.
5. Talk about mental health
If men are already resistant to physical health care, when it comes to mental health the problem is even greater.
Much of this is due to the cultural issue: the rooted machismo it conveys the idea that man must always show himself time. For this reason, problems such as stress, anxiety and depression are treated by them as “weakness” or “freshness”.
Although, researches reveal the truth about the topic. According to the World Health Organization, the average number of suicides among men in Brazil is 13.7 for every 100 thousand inhabitants. Among women, the number drops to 7.5.
It may seem radical, but it serves to illustrate how quietly men suffer and do not recognize that they have a health problem. And when they do, many refuse to seek treatment or talk about it.
For this reason, talking about mental health is essential in raising employees' awareness of male health and prevention. Carry out campaigns and actions that break this taboo and make people comfortable to talk about it at work, especially men, who tend to have more difficulty opening up.
>> To learn more about the subject, check out this other blog post:
Why preserve the mental health of your employees? <
Now that you know how to make employees aware of male health and prevention, how about putting what you’ve learned into practice? Always pay attention to the most important topics for discussion and do not hesitate to open this dialogue in the company. This will definitely increase the quality of life of everyone on your team!
Did you like the article? Tell us in the comments how your company deals with male health on a daily basis. We are available to discuss any questions you may have on the subject.