Time for Tasmania to man up in call for healthier lifestyle
Improving men’s health starts with changing behaviour, says Penny Egan
IMPROVED
health outcomes are not just the responsibility of governments.
Everyone has a personal responsibility to do what they can to stay healthy or improve their health.
Words and policies can only go so far. Without behavioural change, nothing changes.
During Men’s Health week last year, Cancer Council Tasmania spoke about the importance of focusing on the health of our men.
I used the analogy of being roadworthy, ensuring maintenance and regular servicing was all to be found in the “The Manual”.
It’s all about encouraging men to have a regular grease and oil change — but at the slightest hint of engine trouble, get checked.
The irony of increased diagnosis statistics can be a positive sign.
This is not meant to be an oxymoron. Early detection may well increase the numbers of cancers diagnosed, but is very likely to reduce mortality rates.
Nearly nine Tasmanians a day receive a cancer diagnosis. Five of those are likely to be men.
Currently, more than 470 Tasmanian men will receive a prostate cancer diagnosis each year.
Tasmania has the highest incidence of prostate cancer in Australia.
Part of that could be that our men are taking the initiative and being checked before they have an engine failure.
Tasmania is the second highest participant in the National Bowel Screening Program.
Nearly 44 per cent of Tasmanian men participate
compared to the national male average of 39 per cent. A good outcome, you might think, but what of the 56 per cent of males who are eligible but don’t participate?
Coming into summer we need to be sun smart. We need to take responsibility from an early age. More men than women are likely to die from skin cancer melanomas.
For Tasmanian men, skin cancer is the fourth most common cancer diagnosis.
Slip, slop, slap, seek and slide to avoid getting damage to your bodywork — shirt, sunscreen, hat, shade and sunglasses.
Cancer Council Tasmania recently hosted the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference in Hobart. As a state we have led the way in many smoking cessation reforms.
However, at 19 per cent, smoking rates in Tasmania are the highest of all Australian states and territories except the Northern Territory.
It’s good news that the rate is declining but we still have a long way to go.
The number of Tasmanian men in the 24-44 age bracket who smoke is considerably higher than the Australian average.
With the most recent tax excise increase there is no better time to not just consider behavioural change, but to embrace it.
If you are a pack-a-day smoker, the savings could be more than $9000 a year — which could be a great investment into a new family car or major holiday that the whole family enjoys.
Early detection can save lives. Evidence shows that one in three cancers can be prevented.
This article is not to trivialise the importance of early detection.
My father died from bowel cancer. If he had been detected earlier, his and our lives would have been different.
But he didn’t read the manual … every day I wish that he had.