HEALTH AWARENESS DAYS/WEEKS AND FOR THE MONTH OF NOVEMBER…

November Health Awareness days include Movember, Lung Cancer, Pancreatic Cancer, National Stress Day, White Ribbon Day, World Diabetes Day and Disability History Month.

Movember Awareness Month. November 1st – 30th, 2021

For 30 days in the month formerly known as November, Mo Bros and Mo Sisters rally to support the cause, get people talking and raise funds for men’s health projects.

Men’s health is in crisis. Men are dying on average 6 years earlier than women, and for largely preventable reasons.

Mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer – they are taking them all on.

Since 2003, Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo, shaking up men’s health research and transforming the way health services reach and support men.

Unchecked, prostate cancer rates will double over the next 15 years. Globally, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among men aged 15-39 years of age. And across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day, with males accounting for 75% of all suicides.

Movember is uniquely placed to address this crisis on a global scale. They fund groundbreaking projects all over the world, engaging men where they are to understand what works best and accelerate change.

For more details head to the Movember website, U.K. Movember

Lung Cancer Awareness Month November – Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation have launched their #FollowMyLead campaign to coincide with lung cancer awareness month. This year they are focussing on cutting the clichés and finding a better way to talk about lung cancer. See the tools they have prepared to support the campaign and some powerful videos at https://www.roycastle.org/campaigns/follow-my-lead/.

You can sign up to receive a free resource kit of provider and patient resources to support Lung Cancer Awareness Month at https://lcam.org/resources/

Lung Cancer Awareness Month is now in its eighth year and takes place throughout November. 

The campaign aims to encourage people displaying the symptoms of lung cancer to visit their GP. The aim of the campaign is to encourage people displaying the common symptoms of lung cancer, such as a persistent cough, breathlessness or unexplained weight-loss, to visit their GP.

Lung cancer is the UK’s biggest cancer killer. It is the most common cause of death from cancer for both men and women, claiming almost 35,000 lives a year. Early detection of lung cancer makes it more treatable, so encouraging people to recognise symptoms such as a persistent cough and see their doctor sooner could save lives.

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, known to many as ‘PCAM’!

It’s a chance for the pancreatic cancer community to come together to raise vital funds and awareness, remember loved ones who have sadly died of pancreatic cancer and to acknowledge those living with or beyond the disease.

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month started in the UK in 2011 and evolved from Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Week and other similar projects from the United States of America. PCAM brings together all the pancreatic cancer charities and groups from around the world into one united, dedicated and hardworking international team- to transform the future for those affected by pancreatic cancer.

Your support this November could help us to get closer to a breakthrough in early diagnosis and put a much needed spotlight on the disease. It’s unacceptable that more than half of people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer die within 3 months. Join the Take It On Team to help us get closer to a breakthrough in early diagnosis research!

Shine the #Purple Lights for pancreatic cancer is an annual campaign in the UK that takes place during November’s Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. For more details and to see how you can get involved head over to the Pancreatic Cancer website.

National Stress Awareness Day takes place this year on 6th November, 2021.

We know what it is like to feel stressed and being under pressure is a normal part of life. But becoming overwhelmed by stress can lead to mental health problems or make existing problems worse. On Stress Awareness Day we will be highlighting the ways that stress can affect people and what you can do to manage your stress before it becomes a problem.

Millions around the UK experience stress and it is damaging to our health and wellbeing. For example, at some point in the last year, 74% of us have felt so stressed that we have felt unable to cope (Mental Health Foundation).

Stress is the feeling of being under too much mental or emotional pressure. When you are stressed, your body releases stress hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol.

Stress is your body’s reaction to help you deal with pressure or threats. This is sometimes called a “fight or flight” response. Your stress hormone levels usually return to normal once the pressure or threat has passed.

A small amount of stress can be useful. It can motivate you to take action and get tasks completed. It can also make you feel alive and excited. But too much stress can cause negative effects such as a change in your mood, your body and relationship issues.

For more details on Stress Awareness Day head to Rethink Mental Illness website.

White Ribbon Day Thursday 25 November.

On White Ribbon Day Thursday 25 November, and the 16 days to end violence against women that follow, we are asking people in their communities, organisations and workplaces, to come together, and say ‘no’ to violence against women.

Because of thousands of people like you we are able to get the message out that men’s violence against women and girls must end. And that all men can make a difference. #AllMenCan is White Ribbon Day’s leading message this year. It was developed for us in March when the murder of Sarah Everard brought women’s experience of men’s violence to the forefront of everyone’s minds. It also openeded up so many conversations about men taking action and making a stand. As we move towards the end of the year we want as many men as possible to think carefully and make the White Ribbon Promise to never commit, excuse or remain silent about male violence against women.

Please help them reach as many individuals, workplaces, communities and schools as you can. For lots more information and details about White Ribbon Day head to there website.

World Diabetes Day 14th November 2021. World Diabetes Day is celebrated each year on 14th November. Led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by IDF and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes.

It is estimated that more than 415 million adults worldwide have diabetes, and this number is expected to increase to around 642 million – or one in 10 adults – by 2040.

It is estimated that half of people with diabetes are undiagnosed.

One in two adults with diabetes is undiagnosed. Many people live with type 2 diabetes for a long period of time without being aware of their condition. By the time of diagnosis, diabetes complications may already be present. Up to 70% of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed by adopting healthier lifestyles, which is the equivalent of up to 160 million new cases by 2040.

To help get involved and raise awareness of Diabetes take a blue circle selfie of yourself to raise awareness of the global symbol for diabetes on World Diabetes Day with the WDD selfie app. Find out more about the app and how to download it here

If you take a selfie don’t forget to share your pictures on social media @DRWFDiabetes, including the hashtags #test2prevent #eyesondiabetes #WDD

Find out more about World Diabetes Day here.

Disability History Month takes place at the end of November 18th to 18th December. It is now in its 12th year. There will be an online launch on the evening of 18th November.

UK Disability Month website writes that this year it will be joint themes in 2021 which are:

• Disability and Hidden Impairment
• Disability Sex and Relationships

There aim has always been to:

• Celebrate our Lives as Disabled People now and in the past
• Challenge Disabilism by exploring our oppression over time and now
• Achieve Equality

Currently the Equality Act 2010 defines disability as “if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ negative effect on your ability to do normal daily activities.”

• ‘substantial’ is more than minor or trivial,
• ‘long-term’ means 12 months or more or likely to last 12 months or more
• a physical or mental impairment impacts on ability to do normal day to day activities and must be judged without the impact of assistive devices, medication or treatment.

Head over to the UK Disability History Month website for lots more details on this awareness campaign.

I will cover this campaign in a separate post.

Source: UK Movember, Lung Cancer Nursing UK, Pancreatic Cancer Org, Rethink Mental Illness, White Ribbon Day, Diabetes Research & Wellness Foundation, UK Disability History Month