Vancouver, June 10, 2019 – A recent study by the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation (CMHF) uncovered 81% of Canadian men find their day-to-day work to be stressful. The implications are worrisome, with 60% of men saying that work affects their ability to get a proper night’s sleep.
High stress and lack of sleep can be quite serious including higher risk of:
- heart disease;
- type 2 diabetes;
- obesity;
- depression and other mental illnesses;
- low testosterone and erectile dysfunction
The CMHF and Intensions Consulting study revealed several other unhealthy work habits among men:
- 47% skip a meal while at work at least one day a week / 17% skip meals 3 or more days a week;
- 22% eat unhealthy snacks 3 or more days a week;
- 61% skip breaks at least one day a week / 29% skip breaks 3 or more days a week
“The problem is many men don’t realize they’re being unhealthy,” says Dr. Larry Goldenberg, Chair of the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation. “and that small changes to their work lifestyle can have big benefits to their health.”
Small changes = Big Impact
Wayne Hartrick, President of the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation, says “we have identified many small behaviours that men can adopt during the workday that will accumulate long term health benefits;
Some of the tips Hartrick suggests, include:
- Stand while taking calls, stand during meetings;
- Go for walking meetings, even around the office floor or lobby;
- Give your eyes regular 3-minute breaks from the computer screen;
- Don’t drink coffee after 3:00 p.m.;
- Pack healthy snacks to have at your desk (moving unhealthy snacks 6 ft away reduces consumption by 50%)
Work-Life Imbalance
The CMHF study also found that 60% of men will go to work when they are unwell or sick, 46% often work extended hours and 30% work while on vacation to complete work tasks. Hartrick says “These additional hours not only add to their stress, but the decrease in recreational or down-time, also prevent men from having the opportunities to relax and de-stress. We understand the pressures of work cultures but caution guys against taking a ‘hero’s mentality’ approach to work hours that, ironically, decreases their productivity in the long run.”
Hartrick also points out that there is some good news in the study results:
- 71% drink water at work at least three times per day;
- 61% bring a home-prepared meal to work at least three days a week;
- 45% take a break for work to stretch or walk for five minutes at least three days a week
“These statistics are in line with our message of ‘don’t change much.’ When men make small changes to their lifestyle, like eating home-cooked meals or taking five-minute walks throughout the day, it amounts to big differences in their health,” he says.
The Canadian Men’s Health Foundation website DontChangeMuch.ca offers easy to follow tips to help men and their families live healthier lives.
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For media requests or to find out more about the study, please contact:
Andrea Chrysanthou
Global Public Affairs
[email protected]
416-797-8194
ABOUT CANADIAN MEN’S HEALTH FOUNDATION
Canadian Men’s Health Foundation (CMHF) is a national, not for profit organization with a mission to inspire Canadian men and their families to live healthier lives. The statistics around men’s health in Canada are alarming; 70% of men’s health problems can be prevented by adopting healthy lifestyles. Learn more at MensHealthFoundation.ca, YouCheck.ca and DontChangeMuch.ca.
ABOUT CANADIAN MEN’S HEALTH WEEK
Canadian Men’s Health Week is a nationally recognized week dedicated to improving the health of men in our country. The week will be from Monday June 10th – Sunday June 16th, (Father’s Day). The week serves as an opportunity to raise awareness of men’s health issues and provide tips and tools for men and their families to live healthier lives.
ABOUT THIS STUDY
These are the findings of an Intensions Consulting study conducted between May 3, 2019 and May 6, 2019, on behalf of the Canadian Men’s Health Foundation. For this study an online survey was administered with a sample of 1,003 Canadian men, between the ages of 25 and 54 years, who were employed on a full-time or part-time basis. The sample was stratified to ensure that the sample’s composition reflected the underlying distribution of the Canadian population as determined by Census data. A traditional probability sample of comparable size would have produced results considered accurate to within plus or minus 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
For a copy of the press release, download the PDF here.