In brief

• The Movember campaign, with its November mustaches, reminds men about the prevention of prostate and testicular cancer.
• The Lower Silesian NFZ invites people to an educational event on cancer prevention on 18 November.
• Polish men live shorter lives than women and undergo screening less often.

November under the banner of mustaches

In November many men grow mustaches as part of Movember, an international campaign reminding men to take care of their health. The name combines the English words "mustache" and "November". The campaign draws attention to cancers typical of men, above all prostate cancer and testicular cancer (Movember czas start. Mężczyzno, badaj się regularnie – NFZ – Dolnośląski Oddział Wojewódzki) (Movember: wąsy dla zdrowia mężczyzn – rak prostaty, rak jądra i profilaktyka – halodoctor.pl).

Why it matters

Polish men live shorter lives than women, are less likely to undergo medical check-ups, and are reluctant to talk about their ailments, including psychological ones. The gap in life expectancy between the sexes in Poland remains clear. Among cancers in Polish men, prostate cancer is diagnosed most often, while in young men testicular cancer predominates.

What the NFZ offers

The Lower Silesian branch of the National Health Fund invites people to an educational event on cancer prevention on 18 November. The event aims to remind people that regular screening allows disease to be detected early.

Broader context

The TVN television channel reminds viewers that October is marked by women's health and breast cancer prevention, while November is meant to be a time of attention to men's health (Panowie, czas zadbać o zdrowie! Rozpoczyna się "Movember" – tvn.pl). Movember is meant to encourage men to get screened, which in Poland is done less often than among women.

Also read

• NFZ zaprasza do Libiąża na konferencję o profilaktyce i narzędziach e-zdrowia