Men Talk Up Injuries, Tight-Lipped About Health
Men may have been happy to brag about their hairy upper lips during Movember but their own prostate health is still
strictly off-limits a recent Men’s Health forum has discovered.
The forum, run by the New Zealand Cancer Society and sponsored by Telecom asked Kiwi males’ views on their health so
health workers can better meet their needs.
Cancer Society CEO Dalton Kelly said the forum highlighted what was long suspected, men are reluctant to seek help even
when there are signs things aren’t right.
“Men are happy to talk about the injuries they sustain on the sports field or at their job but are reluctant to talk
about their health. The prostate in particular is a no-go zone even though prostate cancer is a leading killer of men in
New Zealand.
“Movember has helped raise awareness, but often men lack the right information. They are more likely to discuss their
facial hair than the cancer their moustache is highlighting this month,” he says.
Mr Kelly says the forum was an opportunity to learn from men of all walks of life about how they talk about their
health, with whom, and in what situations.
“Men don’t like to show weakness with their mates and we found they trust wives and partners more, so women are key when
it comes to educating men about prostate cancer and other male health issues.”
Telecom supported the forum as part of their sponsorship of the Cancer Society through their Community Connection
programme.
Head of Consumer David Craig says Telecom was pleased to assist such a positive initiative to help health professionals
better understand how men ’s health can be improved.
“We are about connecting New Zealanders and so it made sense to us to assist the Cancer Society in finding ways to
connect men with the right advice at the right time as early detection of health issues save lives,” he says.
About Telecom Community Connection
Telecom’s Community Connection programme provides support for up to 1000 not-for-profit organisations doing vital work
throughout New Zealand.
About the forum
The participants in the Wellington forum most of whom were male included people with expertise and experience in men’s
health and prostate cancer, business and community leaders, researchers and communications specialists, Cancer Society
staff and policy volunteers.
ENDS