Highlights of Dr. Goldenberg’s Speech at the CMHF Launch

Dr. Goldenberg’s speech at the launch of CMHF this week drew big applause from the crowd of MPs. Here are my personal favorite picks from that speech;

“Canada and its families would be a better place if our fathers, our brothers, our sons lived healthier and more active lives. We are talking about prevention, as statistics around men’s health in Canada reveal that 70% of men’s health conditions and diseases are preventable.”

“In Canada we are blessed with a myriad of experts on health from coast to coast and for decades the health messages have been flying around, from here to there, but generally right above the heads of the guys who most need to hear them. Somehow we have to get men to overcome the power of the Y chromosome and testosterone and to take steps, just very simple, small steps to improve their health before they develop chronic health problems.”

“Today we are launching the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation and its first national campaign called Don’t Change Much, to create a new social movement that will utilize modern communication techniques to motivate men with health information and lifestyle programs in a way they can truly hear, absorb and act on . We believe that if we can get men to adopt small changes earlier in life, these will eventually become habits, and these habits will eventually become normal behaviour in men, which will pass to their sons, brothers, cousins and friends: Sort of like seatbelts or bike helmets.”

“We have partnered with seven National Champions who have captured the attention of our nation, inspire our society and strive to live healthy and balanced lives that can speak to men in ways that they will hear. We have hockey legend Trevor Linden and two time Olympic medalist Simon Whitfield here today.”

“We can’t do this alone. We are calling on men, their families, sponsors and governments to step up and do their part to encourage healthy lifestyle behaviours for men.

Our ongoing success will be measured by our ability to become the communication pipeline to men across the country for all of our excellent health providers, societies, associations and public health agencies and to engage men in an ongoing dialogue to achieve greater awareness of their risk factors and what they can do to prevent chronic illness. If we can motivate changes in behaviour that can have even a percentage of Canadian men live healthier lives and stay with us longer, we will have been a great success. It’s time to change… but not that much.”