Movember!

Movember is all about bringing back the moustache or ‘Mo’ for the month of November.

It’s about having a bit of fun and putting a spotlight on men’s health, which doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.

It is for awareness of men’s health in general, but in  particular; prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.

The appearance of new hair on a gentleman’s or ‘Mo Bro’s’ face will be like a walking-talking billboard, promoting the health message. The moustache is a way of generating conversations, awareness and of raising funds for men’s health.

 

The rules of Movember:-

1)      Sign up at Movember.com. Each ‘Mo Bro’ must begin on 1st November with a fresh, clean shaven face.

2)      Grow and groom a moustache for the 30 days of November

3)      NO fake moustache NO beards NO goatees. That’s cheating!

4)      Use the facial hair to stimulate conversation and raise funds for men’s health

5)      You must conduct yourself like a true gentleman!

 

It is well known that men visit GP’s and other health professionals less frequently than women, and the average life expectancy for men is on average 4 years less than for women. The reasons for this are numerous and complex but include:-

  • Men being unwilling to discuss their health, or how they feel.
  • Stigma around mental health in particular
  • Men feeling they ‘need to be tough and get on with it’
  • Reluctance to ask for help unless feeling unwell physically
  • Lack of understanding and awareness of men’s health issues.

 

Movember facts:-

  • Started in Australia in 2003
  • Over 100 million people have grown a moustache worldwide due to Movember
  • Raises in excess of 75 Million US Dollars equivalent each year, worldwide
  • Facial hair grows at around ½ inch a month
  • The world’s longest moustache is over 14 feet long
  • Over 99% of testicular cancers and most prostate cancers can be cured if caught early

Together we can make a difference as well as having some fun over the month of Movember. Please think about joining in and encouraging others.

Bring on facial hair cultivation and create a dodgy Mo!

 

 

Remember, remember the 5th of Movember….

Five days into the month of November and quite a few men are sporting some dodgy-looking facial hair.  It suits some, but for many the words that spring to mind are “wispy”, “scruffy” and “have you lost your razor?”

 

The reason for things getting hairy is the global phenomenon that is Movember.  It isn’t an irreverent opportunity for men to indulge their inner Tom Selleck (Link for anyone too young..: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CquMO3vJvo); rather a massive drive to change the face of men’s health one moustache at a time. Participants (“Mo Bros”) start the month clean-shaven, and then grow and groom their moustache all month long, for the 30 nights and hairy days of Movember, raising funds and much needed awareness of men’s health issues – specifically prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men’s mental health.

 

On average, men die at a significantly younger age than women – the average life expectancy for men in the UK at birth, and at age 65, is lower than for women, yet there is no biological reason for this. There are some hair-raising facts:

  • Men have a 14% higher risk of developing cancer than women and a 37% higher risk of dying from it
  • Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in men aged between 15-45 years with just over approximately 2200 new cases a year
  • 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience some kind of mental health problem in the course of a year
  • Suicide is the single most common cause of death in men under 35
  • 25% of men in the UK were categorised as obese in 2011 compared to 13% of men in 1993
  • In England more men than women have been diagnosed with diabetes. 6.3% of men reported that they had diabetes and 5.3 % of women
  • A quarter of deaths of men under 34 can be attributed to alcohol

 

The reasons for the poor state of men’s health in the UK and around the world are numerous and complex, and include:

  • lack of awareness and understanding of the health issues men face
  • men not openly discussing their health and how they’re feeling
  • reluctance to take action when men don’t feel physically or mentally well
  • men engaging in risky activities that threaten their health
  • stigmas surrounding mental health

 

In 2012, over 1.1million Mo Bros and Mo Sista’s pledged their allegiance to the moustache and raised over £92 million globally.  In the UK, there were over 363,000 participants raising over £27 million

 

Anyone can get involved, growing a moustache or supporting friends that do.  The University of Bristol has an online network set-up to bring staff and students together at: http://monetwork.co/Bristol

 

If you are growing face fuzz then sign up, and if you aren’t make sure you sponsor someone that is.

 

To find out more and register your involvement, go to: http://uk.movember.com/get-involved/

 

Most importantly, respect the moustaches you see appearing.  They may not be pretty, they may be patchy, scraggly and itchy, but they are there for a very important reason. The Moustache is a ribbon for men’s health. Support your local Mo!

if you have any health concerns yourself, then please do give the Students’ Health Service a call and we will be happy to help!

http://www.bristol.ac.uk/students-health/