Let the men in your life know how much they mean to you by encouraging them to get healthy! June is Men’s Health Month, a time to encourage and support all the men in our lives to get health screenings and checkups. Why? Quite simply, the founders of this initiative say that “men live sicker and die younger.” The dedicated month is sponsored by the Men’s Health Network (MHN), a national non-profit whose mission is to reach men, boys, and their families where they live, work, play, and pray with health awareness and disease prevention messages and tools, screening programs, educational materials, advocacy opportunities, and patient navigation.

MHN says that part of the reason men have a shorter life expectancy than women is that men are “more likely to go long periods of time without going to the doctor, they’re less likely to adopt preventive health measures, and are more likely to engage in risky behaviors.” Men’s Health Month aims to raise awareness and to shine a spotlight on the need for men to a more active approach to their health.

This MHN pamphlet Get It Checked offers a handy, printable schedule of checkups and age-appropriate  screenings for both men and women, Among other resources and initiatives, MHN sponsors the Men’s Health Resource Center, which offers multimedia and articles on such health topics as aging, cancers, cardiovascular health, diabetes, mental health, prostate health, sexual & reproductive health, and much more. They also offer information on fatherhood, behavioral health and nutrition.

Part of the reason MHN chose June as the dedicated awareness month is that it’s the month in which we all think about one of the most important men in our lives on Father’s Day. In addition to the month-long observance, they also sponsor Men’s Heath Week, which falls in the week prior to Father’s Day, and a Wear Blue Day, which this year falls on Friday the 19th.

If you’re a healthy man, spread the word.  If you are a woman, make sure you remind the men in your life to look after their health!