01 Sep Blue September: Facing Up to Cancer in Men
An international men’s health campaign is harnessing the power of sport to get an important message out about men’s cancer risk and is debuting in both the UK and Ireland this September.
Blue September, is a campaign that encourages people throughout the month paint their faces blue and to quite literally face up to cancer in men. 154,000 men a year are diagnosed with cancer in the UK and 81,000 men a year die, yet many male cancer deaths can be prevented through healthy lifestyle decisions and early detection. Proudly supporting The Men’s Health Forum, Blue September is a campaign to increase awareness of cancer in men.
Blue September is specifically aimed at raising awareness of the most common cancers causing death in men: lung, prostate, bowel, pancreas and melanoma and the lifestyle choices men can make to reduce their risk.
The UK campaign is working closely with football and rugby league having been endorsed by The Barclay’s Premier League and the Rugby Football League. Many clubs that are registered with the European Healthy Stadia Network such as Tottenham FC, Everton FC and Warrington Wolves RLFC are getting blue in their own unique ways. Meanwhile the legendary reds of Merseyside, Liverpool FC, have embraced the campaign under the inventive slogan ‘Blue for a day, Red for a lifetime, Be Cancer Aware’ which sees club captain Steven Gerrard and vice captain Jamie Carragher don face paint for the occassion.
Better understanding of how cancer can develop is key to improving men’s health says Peter Baker, Chief Executive of The Men’s Health Forum: “A lot of men’s cancers are linked to their lifestyle which can directly affect their risk of developing and of dying from cancer. It is vital that we get the message out to men to be healthier and sports clubs are a fantastic mouthpiece to do that.”
Blue September is endorsed in the UK by The Department of Health, The Royal College of General Practitioners and many others. All the Blue September ambassadors, events and messages will be encouraging men to commit to some key cancer-smart lifestyle choices.
Fact sheets and information on how to participate are available from www.blueseptember.org
