Men’s Health Week

An opportunity to shine a spotlight on the unique health challenges faced by men and to encourage conversations that promote awareness, prevention and proactive care.

Across the country, campaigns and activities aim to break down barriers, tackle stigma and empower men to think about their wellbeing. The week serves to highlight physical and mental health concerns and presents an opportunity to highlight the vital role nurses play in supporting men’s health at every stage of life. Nurses are at the forefront of early intervention, education and advocacy – partners in improving health outcomes for men.

Acting fast can save lives: nurse‑led research tackles heart attack delay

A Burdett Trust for Nursing-supported nurse led project aims to reduce dangerous delays in seeking help for heart attack symptoms.

During Men’s Health Week, the Trust is highlighting the University of Stirling’s Reducing Acute Coronary Syndrome Patient Delay (RAPiD) project, which extends previous work exploring a nurse‑led intervention can change behaviour.

Over more than six years, the study followed people with a history of Acute Coronary Syndrome. The study was small but those who received the RAPiD intervention were more likely to seek help quickly when symptoms returned: over half contacted healthcare services within an hour, compared with one fifth of those who did not. They were also less likely to delay for hours or not seek help at all.

The project also created a version for family and friends, recognising their critical role in encouraging early action. By placing nurses at the centre of prevention and decision making, the research shows how timely nurse led interventions can save lives.

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Supporting dads: shining a light on fathers’ perinatal mental health

Men experience depression and anxiety in the perinatal period too, but they often go unnoticed.

We funded the Institute of Health Visiting to create ‘Invisible’ a film which focuses on fathers’ perinatal mental health.

Men’s Health Week is a chance to talk about the health issues men can find hardest to raise, and mental health is often near the top of that list. For new and expectant fathers, the perinatal period can bring huge change, pressure and isolation. Yet conversations about perinatal mental health can focus only on mothers, leaving dads less visible and less supported.

By using film as a tool for engagement, the project brings lived experience and real-world context. This matters because stigma and uncertainty can stop men from seeking help, especially at a time when they may feel they “should be coping.”

Health visitors and nursing teams often have trusted relationships with families at key moments. Raising awareness can help ensure fathers are included in the conversation and supported earlier. When fathers are better supported and mentally well, the benefits can extend to their partners, babies, children, and the wider community.

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ThinkQuit: empowering nurses to support smoking cessation in hospital

We funded the ThinkQuit Study in Wales, a nurse led project that co produced and refined a behaviourally informed intervention to help nurses address smoking with hospital patients.

Smoking is a major preventable cause of illness, and hospital admission can be a key moment for change. The ThinkQuit study explored what helps and what makes it harder for nurses to talk to patients about smoking and refer patients to the smoking cessation service. One key barrier identified was that nurses rarely saw examples of successful outcomes when patients were referred. To tackle this, the team worked with nurses and other stakeholders to design an intervention that gives nurses feedback on the results of their referrals, helping them feel confident and empowered to start these conversations.

During Men’s Health Week, ThinkQuit highlights the value of prevention focused nursing. Embedding smoking cessation support into routine hospital care could reduce long term risk and improve outcomes for conditions that disproportionately affect men, including heart and lung disease.

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Community heart health: preventing cardiovascular disease locally

We supported the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland to enable community nurses to lead the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, working with people most at risk, including those living in areas of deprivation, people with severe mental health conditions and men in the justice system.

Across the programme, nurses co produced locally led initiatives that increased awareness of heart health, identified previously undiagnosed risk factors, and supported people to make realistic, sustainable lifestyle changes. Nurse led screening in community settings improved engagement with those less likely to access traditional services, while tailored conversations helped challenge the belief that heart disease is inevitable or only an “older person’s” issue. For example, recognising that cardiovascular risk is shaped long before people reach hospital, one of the nurses worked with male prisoners to understand what extra support they needed in relation to heart health.

Men’s Health Week highlights the importance of reaching men earlier and differently. The programme demonstrated that nurses are uniquely placed to do this, building trust, working across community spaces and addressing the wider social factors that shape men’s health. By strengthening nurse leadership and co production skills, the project shows how community nursing can reduce inequalities and prevent cardiovascular disease before crisis hits.