International Men's Health Week

International Men's Health Week was expanded to an international level in 2002 when representatives from six men's health organizations around the world met at the 2nd World Congress on Men's Health in Vienna, Austria and resolved to work together to launch International Men's Health Week (IMHW.)

Goals and organizations

The aim of IMHW is slightly wider than its domestic equivalent, aiming to increase awareness of general male health issues and to encourage inter- and intra-national institutions to provide better care for health issues affecting men around the world. Some affiliates of IMHW include The Men’s Health Forum in England and Wales, Men's Health Society of BC, in British Columbia, Rotary International, the San Maarten Public Health Department in the Netherlands Antilles, the Men's Health Information and Resource Centre in Australia and Men's Health Network in the United States. Men's Health Network also hosts the website for IMHW.

Expansion

Although IMHW is most widely observed in Australia, Canada, Europe, and the United States, there has been collaboration with reproductive and sexual health programs for men in Central and South America, Africa, and Asia as well.

Because men's health is still an emerging issue, IMHW has been helpful in bringing awareness of the issue to areas where men's health has yet to become accepted. Countries in which men's health has come to be viewed as a more legitimate concern have collaborated with men's health activists elsewhere.

Vienna Declaration

The European Men's Health Forum returned to Austria in 2005 to create the Vienna Declaration which serves as a plan of action for improving the state of men's health. According to the Society for Men's Health and Gender, the five main points of the Vienna Declaration are:

*Recognizing men's health is a critical issue and that there are health issues which only affect men
*Promoting awareness of men's approach to health
*Changing the way health care is provided to be more sensitive towards men's needs
*Creating school and community programs which target boys and young men
*Connecting health and social policies to better pursue men's health goals

International Men's Health Week Activities

*Australia: Urological Cancer Organization Forum
*Austria: Hospitals offered free health screenings and restaurants offered healthy selections
*Canada: The Men's Health Society of British Columbia organized a picnic, open house, and athletic event
*Denmark: Symposium on Men's Health
*England, Scotland and Wales: Events made by a coalition of related organizations
*Netherlands - Antilles: A variety of events
*United States: Work place health screenings, lectures by athletes, and public awareness campaigns

External Links to Selected IMHW Event Organizers

* [http://www.menshealthmonth.org/imhw/imhw.htm International Men's Health Week]
* [http://www.menshealthnetwork.org/ Men's Health Network]
* [http://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/ Men's Health Forum]
* [http://www2.vpl.vancouver.bc.ca/DBs/Redbook/orgPgs/1/12151.html Men's Health Society of BC]
* [http://www.menshealthweekaustralia.org/ International Men's Health Week: Australia]
* [http://www.ismh.org International Society for Men's Health & Gender]