This week (13th – 19th June 2016) is Men’s Health Week, an annual awareness campaign led by The Men’s Health Forum – a national charity which aims to improve the health of men and boys. But why the big fuss over men’s health? Some health problems, including cardiovascular disease, are more common in men than women. But despite these health issues, men often feel embarrassed to get help from their GP. In fact, on average, men go to their GP half as often as women.
British men are paying the price for neglecting their health with more than 100,000 men dying prematurely every year. Men are more likely than women to die prematurely; 42% of men die before age 75 compared to 26% of women. Well, apart from putting feelings of embarrassment or stubbornness aside, they should look after themselves with a healthy lifestyle and ensure they visit their GP more often when they aren’t feeling well or notice anything unusual. They could also take a more proactive approach and consider helping improve the health, not only of themselves, but of future generations by taking part in clinical research.
Clinical research enables the development of all medical treatments for everyday ailments through to life-threatening conditions. Far from being a scary concept, clinical studies operate in a highly regulated industry. Prior to any clinical trial being undertaken, approval must be sought from the appropriate regulatory authorities and ethical committees. In the UK, this is the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Research Ethics Committee (REC). It’s after the relevant scientific, regulatory and ethical bodies have approved the protocol that clinical studies in the human population can go ahead.
