The Men’s Health and Wellbeing Programme – ENGENDER database

The Men’ s Health and Wellbeing Programme (MHWP) was established by The Larkin Unemployment Centre in partnership with the Glasgow Celtic Football Club, in Dublin’ s North inner city, a socially disadvantaged area.

The MHWP objectives include:

1. assisting men to develop skills and knowledge to take control of their own health, providing information in an accessible and gender sensitive way, acting as a catalyst for men to effect positive change through purposeful activity,
2. providing new opportunities for men to engage in sporting activities,
3. developing appropriate learning strategies,
4. building capacity in the community,
5. promoting alternative social and recreational spaces for men to meet, and
6. creating a context that locates learning as part of community life and not fixed to a particular space or time.

The programme was effective in improving participant’ s health in areas such as blood cholesterol, BMI, blood pressure and fitness levels. The programme was also effective in increasing men’ s awareness of health, improving personal development and empowering and building social capital in the community.

> Source: Policy Precis – Making the link: Gender and health equity.