Men's health registered many important advances in 2002, both in the United States and internationally.

In the past, prostate cancer has been the premier men's health issue. In 2002 a second men's health issue began to attract extensive media attention: the concern about suicide and mental health problems among men and fathers, especially following divorce and loss of child custody.

Articles and reports on this topic are found in numerous Men's Health America postings: #503, 532, 539, 556, 567, 571, 592, 610, 619, 623, 626, 627, and 635.

Two other issues emerged into public awareness in 2002: male reproductive health and domestic violence against men. The following MHA postings addressed these concerns:

1. Reproductive health: postings #494, 505, 509, and 637
2. Domestic violence against men: postings #500, 501, 538, 547, 617

On December 18, the Donahue show on MSNBC aired a program on men's rights. During the course of the program, men's health disparities were frequently mentioned, including the four-to-one disparity in breast vs. prostate cancer funding.

Men's health gained greater visibility at the state level, as well. In New Hampshire, Gov. Jeanne Shaheen signed into law HB 587-FN-A to establish a Commission on the Status of Men. The purpose of the Commission is to look into the problems of men's health and other issues. When Governor Shaheen began to have second thoughts about appointing qualified members to the Commission, Men's Health America (MHA) staff wrote a letter to the editor that was published in the November 30, 2002 issue of Foster's, a widely-read newspaper in the state.

And Lance Armstrong's fourth victory in the grueling Tour de France bicycle race was a stirring testament to the will of one man to overcome life-threatening testicular cancer.

Men's Health America succeeded in raising broader awareness of men's health issues. MHA postings were routinely disseminated on other Internet websites and in certain newsletters. For example, MHA postings #603, 604, and 613 were reprinted in the November/December 2002 issue of the Liberator.

Despite these advances, one disappointment stands out for 2002: the failure of the U.S. Congress to approve the Men's Health Act.

MEN'S HEALTH ACT: PROGRESS, BUT NOT SUCCESS

The Men's Health Act (MHA) was first introduced in the House of Representatives on February 14, 2001 by Representatives Duke Cunningham and James McDermott. The purpose of the MHA is to establish an Office of Men's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services. Currently, DHHS has 5 offices of women's health, but no corresponding office to advocate for men's health.

On June 12, 2002, as part of Men's Health Week, the Men's Health Act was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Strom Thurmond, as S. 2616. The MHA received a major boost when Men's Health Magazine ran editorials in its June and October issues urging its readers to sign a petition in support of the MHA. As a result, 126 Representatives have now signed on as co-sponsors of the Act.

Despite this progress, the MHA did not make it out of the Subcommittee on Health of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, or the corresponding Senate subcommittee. There appears to exist a lingering fear among elected officials that if they support any program designed to help men, they will be criticized as being "anti-woman" by certain gender advocacy groups.

Passage of the Men's Health Act will be top priority for 2003.

EDUCATION

Men's Health America engages in extensive efforts to educate the public and healthcare professionals about men's health.

The cornerstone of our educational effort is the MHA website. Over 175 messages were posted throughout the course of the year to about 450 members. Many other persons visit the website on a periodic basis.

Men's Health America has long lead the effort to overcome the myth that women were routinely excluded from medical research. This myth is often used to justify the current neglect of men's health. The January 12, 2002 issue of Lancet (p. 165) published a letter to the editor from MHA staff about this issue.

SPECIAL REPORTS: SIX CUTTING-EDGE EFFORTS

Men's Health America researches issues of vital concern to the health of men and boys. These research findings are disseminated via Special Reports. These Special Reports often form the basis of advocacy efforts. These were the key issues in 2002:

1. Men in Afghanistan

In December 2001, Men's Health America issued three Special Reports on the mistreatment of men in Afghanistan, and the neglect of international human rights organizations of these atrocities. Men's Health America continued this public awareness compaign into January 2002, and asked MHA members to contact Amnesty International.

Amnesty International's tepid response was published in posting #482.

2. CEDAW

Last summer, MHA staff learned that the Convention on the Elimination of Disrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was going to be considered by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Despite its egalitarian-sounding title, an analysis of the actual implementation of CEDAW in other countries revealed that this treaty has been used to worsen, not eliminate, sex-specific health disparities (see MHA posting #468).

Therefore, in July 2002, Men's Health America released three Special Reports that documented the international disparities of men's health, and the failure of the United Nations to address these health gaps (postings #548, 549, 550 and 551). One of these reports, "CEDAW: Code Word for Gender Inequality," was reprinted in the July/August issue of the Transitions newsletter. A second report, "The Global Disparities in Male Longevity," was reprinted in the October/November issue of Everyman.

On September 1, MHA released the expose, "The Four Fatal Flaws of CEDAW." This report was reposted on many other web sites, including iFeminist.com and Men's News Daily, and was reprinted in the October/November issue of Everyman.

Men's Health America joined a coalition of other men's, women's, and religious organizations who opposed CEDAW. MHA worked with the Letter Writing Committee of the National Coalition of Free Men to urge Senators to oppose this treaty. As a result of the vigorous efforts of this coalition, CEDAW was not scheduled for a vote on the floor of the United States Senate.

3. Heart Health

Heart disease is the leading killer of American men. In September, Men's Health America released four reports that documented the reasons for men's greater susceptibility to heart disease, and the failure of the Department of Health and Human Services to address this disparity (postings #582, 583, 584, and 585).

The unsatisfactory response of DHHS was posted in message #589.

4. Violence and Health

In October, the World Health Organization released its WHO Report on Violence and Health. Two MHA Special Reports documented how the WHO report downplayed or ignored violence against men (postings #596 and 597).

The Reports encouraged MHA members to contact the WHO to express their concerns.

5. Male Suicide

As discussed above, male suicide emerged as a hot issue for men's health in 2002. In December, MHA released Special Reports on suicide among men and fathers (postings #626 and 636), and documented how the DHHS National Strategy for Suicide Prevention neglected to target men and disseminated misleading information about male suicide (posting #629). The report, "Dads Who Take Their Lives" was disseminated on several other Internet lists, and was reprinted in the December 2002 issue of The Banner, published by Fathers and Families of Massachusetts.

The official response from the DHHS stated, "We appreciate your comments and thank you for sending them to us. We are taking your comment and others we have received seriously."

6. American Public Health Association

On April 5, 2002, Men's Health America sent an open letter to Mary Northridge, editor of the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH). The letter pointed out that over the previous 13 years, AJPH had published 14 theme issues on women's/maternal health, but no issues on men's/paternal health. This letter was widely disseminated on the internet, including the MHA listserv (see posting #510). The letter was also reprinted in May/June issue of the Liberator newspaper.

On November 11, MHA staff attended the American Public Health Association meeting in Philadelphia. Over 2,000 flyers on men's health were distributed to conference attendees. Response to the flyers was very positive (see posting #618).

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS: EXCITING PROGRESS

A number of important developments occurred on the international front, as well.

The Third World Congress on the Aging Male took place in Berlin, Germany from February 7-10, 2002.

The Second World Congress on Men's Health was held in Vienna, Austria, October 25 - 27, 2002. The theme of the conference was Sex and Gender Matter: From Boys to Men. At that meeting, representatives from men's health organizations around the world met and agreed to coordinate the dates for International Men's Health Week, which will be June 9-15, 2003.

OUR WORK IS NOT DONE

In summary, during 2002, several men's health issues gained public attention, and men's health become increasingly international in focus. Despite growing public support, the pivotal Men's Health Act failed to be approved by the United States Congress. And men continue to die 5.5 years sooner than women.

Our work remains unfinished.

Words of Appreciation

Men's Health America is a non-profit research and education organization. The mission of Men's Health America is to eliminate the life span gender gap and other disparities affecting men's health. MHA achieves its mission by collaborating with a variety of individuals.

Special appreciation is extended to Mike LaSalle, Scott Garman, Wendy McElroy, Tom Williamson, Jim Lovestar, Don Hubin, Gordon Clay, Lindsay Jackel, Richard Doyle, and Mike Spaniola for helping to disseminate MHA reports to wider audiences. Thanks to Richard Kroeger, Ned Holstein, David Roberts, Barbara Oldroyd, and Arnie Robbins for reviewing drafts of MHA Special Reports. Also, thanks are due to Mike McCormick, Neil Steyskal, and Arthur Beamon for their overall support during the past year.

-Carey Roberts

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Other articles by Carey Roberts can be found in the Men's News Daily archive.