How Movember is changing men's approach to health in Czechia
Movember is a global yearly charity campaign that encourages men to grow moustaches throughout November to highlight important men’s health issues, namely prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and suicide prevention. The slogan of this year’s Movember campaign is: “Changing the face of men's health.”
Movember originated in Australia in 2001. Since then, it has grown into a global movement. Organizers chose moustaches to represent the movement because it is immediately visible and can effectively attract attention to the cause.
The campaign has two main goals. First, to highlight that prostate cancer is one of the most common health problems among men worldwide. For example, in Czechia, nearly 1,500 men die from prostate cancer each year. And second, it is to change how men think about their health in general. The campaign encourages men to realize it’s worth going to the doctor once in a while. Today’s medicine can detect problems quite easily.
Czech coordinator of the Movember project, Jiří Hofreitr, spoke to Czech Radio on how early detection works:
“The early detection program for prostate carcinoma actually started last year. However, we try to encourage men aged 50 to 69 to register for this widespread screening, which is very simple; they just need to sign up with their general practitioner. Most men hesitate because prostate examinations have a certain negative reputation. But the examination itself remains the same. It’s a rectal exam.”
The process has been simplified with the latest medical procedures, explains Hofreitr:
“Regarding widespread screening, the process has been simplified. Field screening isn’t common in many European countries or globally. Any man who signs up for this screening will have his PSA level measured from a standard blood sample. PSA is the prostate-specific antigen. Based on the results, the doctor will recommend whether everything is fine, in which case he returns for a follow-up in a year, or if there’s an issue, he will be referred to a urologist.”
But organizers urge that more can be done. Prostate cancer can’t always be prevented; there are genetic factors involved, but awareness makes a big difference. The campaign keeps growing, and with it, the conversation about men’s health, which makes some in the movement optimistic for the future.
