March 1st signals the start of Men’s Health Month 2010 for the Marie Keating Foundation, supported by Marks and Spencer.
The Foundation’s month-long campaign was first held in March 2005 and since then has grown in size and impact. The campaign focuses on men and their wellbeing in reducing their risk of developing cancer.
One in nine Irish men are at risk of developing prostate cancer, one in nineteen are at risk of developing bowel cancer and one in two hundred and five are at risk in relation to testicular cancer.
Armed with the knowledge that men are increasingly unlikely to visit a doctor or engage with the health services, the Foundation has decided to develop a campaign which aims to literally “Get Men Talking”.
Getmentalking.ie has been developed to specifically focus on men’s cancer. With the use of YouTube and Facebook, the Foundation’s hope is to encourage more men to talk about their health. On the website men can ‘ask the expert’, talk to one another, post content to the site and access information on the various types of men’s cancer. During the month the Foundation will also host a men’s health lunch, attending will be medical experts and celebrities all united with the same message – get men talking! Throughout the month their community information service will be focussed on men’s health. It will be visiting men’s groups and workplaces bringing with them the message of early detection and the benefits of talking about your health.
“Using the latest digital technology through a dedicated website is our approach in encouraging men to tell their stories in a safe and non-threatening way” said Lillian McGovern, she continued “power of this channel of communication cannot be underestimated and our hope is that many men will engage with us using this method”.
Ambassadors for the campaign to “Get Men Talking” are Ronan Keating, who launched the campaign, with the support of Marks and Spencer. Information on men’s cancer will be made available through Marks and Spencer stores throughout the month of March and merchandise will be on sale in-store. Gerry Ryan has supported the campaign recording a radio advertisement which will air throughout the month of March.
It is hoped that men will log on to the site during the month to take part in this campaign. To encourage men to log on, the Foundation will be running online advertising and doing online ‘give-aways’ to encourage traffic onto the site. Lillian went on to say that “We believe that the real ambassadors for this campaign are real Irish men telling their stories and sharing experiences and where better to do it than at www.getmentalking.ie”.
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