Today marks the start of Men's Health Week in New Zealand. Men are once again being encouraged to be proactive and take charge to improve their health and well-being.
Men continue to die earlier than women for all of the top ten causes of death, and the health statistics for Māori men continue to lag behind non-Maori.
Every three hours a kiwi male dies from a potentially preventable illness. If you are Māori, that rate doubles. One in eight men also experience serious depression at some time in their lives and are encouraged to speak to a health professional they trust.
Testicular cancer claims the lives of many men aged between 18-39 each year, more than any other disease, however, if diagnosed early, it has the highest rate of cure of all cancers. About 150 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer every year in New Zealand.
Throughout the month of June, men can visit any Life or Unichem Pharmacy to get a free Men's Health Pit Stop Check. They can also talk to their local pharmacist about which screening tools are appropriate and have their blood pressure taken.
To find out more information about Men's Health week, you can visit the men's health week website here.
Te Kāea will have more details on this tonight at 5:30pm.