Men's Health Awareness Week

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Screening

AAA screening is offered to men aged 65 and for most involves a one-off ultrasound scan of the abdomen. The UK NSC has recently undertaken a 10-year effectiveness review where they looked at the effectiveness of the NHS AAA screening programmes across the UK  between 2013 and 2022.  It concluded that the AAA screening programme  makes a substantial contribution to the ongoing reductions in AAA-related deaths.  

To promote this programme and to continue its success, there are a number of assets available here including static and video assets including a ‘what to expect’ video.

The video is also available in a range of other languages.   

Bowel Screening

Bowel screening is the only national screening programme where the test is done at home. It aims to find cancer at an earlier stage, before symptoms occur, when treatment is likely to be more effective. Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of death due to cancer in Scotland. The uptake of screening is lower in men (63%) than it is in women (68%).

To help encourage participation for those eligible (people aged 50-74) and increase screening uptake, there are a suite of resources available here.

Smoking

Despite rates of smoking decreasing over time, in Scotland 16% of men smoke, compared to 13% of women. Men are also less likely to seek support to quit.

Smoking is one of the single largest preventable causes of premature death and ill health in Scotland. It causes over 8,000 smoking-related deaths every year in Scotland and is responsible for around 40,000 hospital admissions. To raise awareness of Quit Your Way, Scotland’s stop smoking service and encourage men to reach out for support to go smoke-free there are a range of assets available here. 

Suicide Prevention

In Scotland, men are 3 times more likely to die by suicide than women. Earlier this year, a campaign was launched by Suicide Prevention Scotland to normalise the idea of having a conversation about suicide and to give people the confidence to ask directly about suicide. 

A toolkit is available here, with the option of including your own organisation's branding. This includes digital, social and print-ready assets.

Please feel free to share these resources with any relevant stakeholders or networks.

Your support is much appreciated.

If you have any questions, comments or feedback, please contact phs.comms@phs.scot