Celebrate Men’s Health this June

June 4, 2012

June marks the official start of summer—BBQs, warm weather, and vacations! But June also signals the start of Men’s Health Month , an observance designed to increase awareness of preventable health problems and encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.

Men’s Health Month heightens the awareness of preventable health problems, like those caused by tobacco use.

Health Consequences of Tobacco

• Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of death and disease in the United States.
• Cigarette smoking accounts for approximately 443,000 deaths annually.¹
• Nearly one-third of all cancer deaths are directly linked to tobacco use.²
• Smoking causes an estimated 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths in men.³
• Smoking also causes cancers of the bladder, esophagus, kidney, larynx, mouth, throat, and stomach, and acute myeloid leukemia.⁴

Make a Plan to Quit this Month

Among current adult smokers in the United States, approximately 69 percent report wanting to quit completely.⁵ Take this opportunity during Men’s Health Month to make a plan to quit smoking or to encourage those you care about to quit. Quitting at any age and at any time is beneficial. But the sooner you quit the better for your health. 

We understand that quitting tobacco is difficult. But with the many resources available, quitting is possible. Use any of the resources below to help you quit:

• 1-800-QUITNOW (1-800-784-8669)
• Instant Message with LiveHelp
• Smokefree.gov Step-by-Step Quit Guide
• You Can Quit Smoking: CDC consumer guide.

View all past FDA feature articles here.

Men’s Health Month is celebrated throughout the country with screenings, health fairs, and other health education and outreach activities.  Find out if there is a Men’s Health Month event near you, or start one of your own at menshealthmonth.org .

__________________________________________________
References
1: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Years of Potential Life Lost, and Productivity Losses - United States, 2000—2004. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 2008; 57(45); 1226-1228 [accessed 2012 May 25].
2,3,4: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, 2004 [accessed 2012 May 25].
5: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Quitting Smoking Among Adults—United States, 2001–2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report [serial online] 2011;60(44):1513–19 [accessed 2012 May 25].