In November, men around the world grow mustaches to raise awareness of an underappreciated issue: men's health. Here's how it works.
Table of contents
1. What is Movember?
The term Movember is a portmanteau of the two words " mustache " and " November ." Moustache is English for "mustache ." So, in a way, Movember is a men's issue: It's about men's health and prevention.
The movement was founded in 2003 in Adelaide, Australia , by a group of young men. Initially, Movember was primarily an event in Australia and New Zealand. However, after just a few years, other countries recognized its relevance, and it became an international phenomenon.
The Movember Foundation's primary concerns are awareness and prevention of common male illnesses . Statistically, men worldwide die significantly earlier than women. The reason : consciously and subconsciously, many men equate illness with weakness, which in turn is associated with a lack of masculinity.
As a result, men tend to take preventive medical examinations less seriously . In particular, the topics of prostate and testicular cancer , as well as depression , overwork , and suicide prevention, receive too little attention in discussions about and among men.
The Movember movement has set itself the task of raising awareness of these important issues. As part of the movement, there is always a Movember Challenge , which aims to raise awareness and donations .
In Australia, participation and donations have steadily increased since the first Movember Challenge. While $55,000 was donated in 2004, the first year of the challenge, by 2005, the number had already risen to an impressive $1.2 million!
By 2007, donations had already risen to $16.2 million. Today, the Movember Foundation is the largest non-governmental funder in the field of prostate cancer .
The young founders with the witty idea have now become a fully-fledged charity under the symbol of the mustache. Their goal: to reduce the number of premature deaths among men by 25% by 2030.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : Want to get involved with a good cause? We've set up a donation account for our BRAINEFFECT community at www.movember.com. 100% of all proceeds go to the Movember Foundation.
2. Why a mustache in November?
An integral part of the Movember Challenge is that participants grow mustaches . The mustache is both a classic symbol of masculinity and a good visual hook that can generate significant attention for the movement among friends and in the media.
Thus, the mustache has now become a worldwide symbol of male health . Whether in Germany, Australia, the UK, or Austria: In November, we increasingly see men with mustaches all over the world. True to the motto : " Grow a Mo, save a Bro ."
3. Facts and figures on men's health
There are 41 million men living in Germany. Their life expectancy, at around 78.5 years, is significantly lower than that of women (83.3 years) [1]. Based on these data, male newborns are projected to have an average life expectancy of 86.2 years in 2060, while female newborns will have an average life expectancy of 89.6 years [2], [3].
Compared to women, men are also prescribed significantly fewer medications . This is particularly evident in the area of psychotropic drugs : statistically, men are primarily prescribed medications that treat physical disorders such as those affecting the cardiovascular system or metabolism [4].
Only 6.3 percent of German men report having been diagnosed with depression or a depressive mood within the last 12 months. At 8.5 percent, the proportion of men suffering from depression is highest in the 45- to 65-year-old age group [5]. At the same time, the suicide rate among men is significantly higher than among women. [7]
Furthermore, significantly more men than women in Germany develop cancer . The annual number of new cases for men is approximately 258,520. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men . It is estimated that there are approximately 58,780 new cases per year.
With approximately 35,960 new cases per year, lung cancer is the second most common cancer in men. Colon cancer ranks third with approximately 32,300 new cases [6]. Prostate and colon cancer, in particular, can be treated very effectively with early diagnosis.
The Movember Foundation's goal of motivating more men to undergo regular checkups is equally far-reaching. While they aren't a replacement for preventative care, saw palmetto capsules contribute to normal prostate function and are therefore recommended for men 45 and older.
4. Movember Challenge: Move
This year's challenge is called " Move for Movember ." As the name suggests, it's primarily about exercise. The idea: You run, walk, or hike 60 km throughout the entire month .
You can register and download the Movember app at movember.com . The best way to raise funds is to share your challenge with your community, friends, and family.
Feel free to actively talk to those around you about it and bring the topic up in conversations again and again. The project's supporters call themselves "Mo Bros" or "Mo Sisters."
So Movember doesn't have to be, and shouldn't be, a purely male affair. Even as a woman, you can get involved in men's health and raise money with every kilometer you run.
The more participants there are, the more donations we collect. This way, each participant can make a unique, measurable contribution. At the same time, you'll also improve your own health with a small endurance challenge.
BRAINEFFECT HACK : We're also participating in the fundraising campaign. Become a Mo Bro or Mo Sis and donate to the BRAINEFFECT team account for a good cause. ( Click here )
5. Conclusion
The Movember Foundation is one of the most influential players in men's health. With its high-profile movement and annual fundraising appeals, the formerly 30 Mo Bros have now grown into a major charity.
At the heart of the movement is the goal of raising awareness and funding for research and prevention of men's diseases such as prostate and testicular cancer. However, issues related to mental health, such as depression, suicide prevention, and addiction prevention, are also increasingly coming into focus.
In this year's "Move for Movember" challenge, you have to run 60 km and ideally get your entire community on board.
It doesn't matter whether you're a man or a woman: We all benefit from becoming healthier as a society and showing solidarity. So put on your running shoes and let's go!
6. Sources
[1] Federal Statistical Office, Population based on the 2011 census by sex and nationality over time, https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Bevoelkerungsstand/Tabellen/liste-zensus-geschlecht-staatsangehoerigkeit.html.
[2] Federal Statistical Office, Life expectancy in Germany, https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Sterbefaelle-Lebenserwartung/_inhalt.html.
[3] Federal Statistical Office (2019), Population in Transition. Assumptions and Results of the 14th Coordinated Population Forecast, Wiesbaden.
[4] Scientific Institute of the AOK (WIdO) (2019), Drug consumption by age group 2018, Berlin.
[5] Thom, J.; Kuhnert, R.; Born, S.; Hapke, U. (2017), 12-month prevalence of self-reported medically diagnosed depression in Germany, Journal of Health Monitoring 2017, Volume 2, Issue 3, Berlin.
[6] Robert Koch Institute, Society of Epidemiological Cancer Registries in Germany (2019), Cancer in Germany for 2015/2016, Berlin.
[7] https://gendermedwiki.uni-muenster.de/mediawiki/index.php/Geschlechterunterschiede_bei_Suizid_und_Suizidalit%C3%A4t/Fachartikel
