A pick-up basketball game at the YMCA in downtown Vancouver served as the backdrop for the launch of Canadian Men’s Health Week.
“Men’s health statistics are really bad,” Canadian Men’s Health Foundation co-founder Wayne Hartrick said. “Seventy per cent of men’s health problems can be solved by just a little bit more nutrition, more activity, proper sleep, that kind of thing.”
The foundation received a very healthy infusion of cash Monday morning with Health Minister Terry Lake announcing $2 million in funding for a collaboration between the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation and the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation.
They will use the money to continue educating men about lifestyle choices through initiatives like Don’t Change Much, a website that illustrates how small behavioural changes can have a big impact on overall health.
The site includes YouCheck, an online questionnaire that helps men assess how they’re doing and what they can do better.
“It gives each man a report of their likelihood to develop the seven most common health problems,” Hartrick said.
If the cost to your health isn’t enough of an incentive to break bad habits, the foundation released an infographic that highlights the financial cost of unhealthy behaviours.
“This is about saying, ‘C’mon guys, we know better,” Hartrick said. “Let’s start eating a little better, let’s be a little more active, let’s get enough sleep, let’s see the doctor once in a while. Do those basics.”
– With files from Linda Aylesworth