Programmes We Fund

On average men live five to six years less than women and more than five men die prematurely each hour from potentially preventable illnesses.

Hard hitting facts; especially when you consider there’s no biological disadvantage putting men at greater risk and, according to research, up to half of male cancer cases could be prevented by making healthier diet and lifestyle choices. The reasons for the current state of men’s health are numerous and complex but undoubtedly a big issue is the way men think about their health; preventative health being something many just don’t compute. It’s this issue that Movember’s Awareness & Education programme is working hard to change.

Awareness and education alters behaviour and mind-sets; it gradually breaks down barriers, removes stigmas and brings about real change. Movember wants men to take responsibility for their health, prevent illness by leading a healthy lifestyle and understand the symptoms and signs in both themselves and others so they can appreciate when and how to seek help if needed.

Movember's Awareness & Education Programme > Overview
Movember’s tag line is ‘changing the face of men’s health’ which articulately describes the challenge – changing your appearance by growing a moustache for 30 days, and the outcome – changing the understanding and attitudes men have towards their health. The Mo is Movember’s ribbon; it’s the catalyst for change.
 
The appearance of a moustache on a usually clean shaven man prompts questions and throughout the month, men are constantly asked, ‘why the Mo?’ Justification and an explanation follow; resulting is a highly effective and authentic word-of-mouth campaign.

Is Movember Making a Difference?
Has the dial been moved? Is all the moustache generated chat actually making a difference? These are questions Movember is constantly asking. And, the answer is without doubt, yes. Each member of the Mo community is helping to bring about change through their personal Mo. Here’s a short video clip highlighting how that individual journey is making a very real difference.

The facts featured in the video come from a recent piece of global Movember research and highlight the impact Movember’s Awareness & Education programme is having. At its core, Movember is a word-of-mouth campaign driven by in-person communication and reinforced through digital media. In fact, 82% of people first heard about Movember as a result of Word of Mouth.

Other UK specific statistics taken from the research, which are of interest, include:

91% of participants spent time thinking about improving their general health
71% of participants visited a doctor in the last 12 months
66% discussed men’s health with their family, friends or colleagues during Movember
51% carried our personal research on men’s health issues during Movember
50% cited prostate cancer and heart disease as the most significant issues when thinking of men’s health

The research shows that participation in Movember does encourage men to proactively engage in the management of their health. However, findings also highlighted that some men had ignored an issue rather than taking action, seeking support or going to a doctor. This is proof that there is still work to be done and Movember has a responsibility to keep raising awareness, thereby motivating and engaging men around the world to change the face of men’s health.

Movember’s Awareness & Education programme is delivered through a number of different mechanics, including our ambassador programme, media relations, events, educational materials, website and campaign creative. If you’d like to hear more about the detail, please get in touch with the team at Movember by emailing info.uk@movember.com or calling 020 7952 2060.

Going forward, Movember will continue to invest, develop and grow its Education and Awareness programme, with a view to changing the actions and attitudes of men, related to their health, around the world.