The Health and Counseling Center is sponsoring the inaugural Men’s Health Month to focus on men’s mental and physical health. Events will include stress relief events during finals week and a Men’s Health Fair on Nov. 18 in addition to the film screening of “The Mask You Live In” which discussed hypermasculinity and was held on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
“In the U.S., we know that men very much underutilize health services—physical and mental health,” said HCC Health Educator Alexander Limas. “More specifically here at DU, male-identified students engage in riskier behaviors when it comes to alcohol—use and sexual behavior, over 81 percent report feeling ‘overwhelmed by all [they] had to do,’ and utilize primary and mental health services less than female-identified students.”
The film screening of “The Mask You Live In” was held in Lindsay Auditorium and included a group discussion at the conclusion of the film. The film which was released earlier this year focuses on the damaging effects of hypermasculinity among men and boys.
“The film was important for Men’s Health Month because society has such a narrow perspective on what it considers masculinity, especially around a college campus and what it means to be a man,” explained Center for Advocacy, Prevention and Empowerment (C.A.P.E.) peer educator Meagan Traver. “This film is an eye-opening experience for young men on how masculinity has evolved in the 21st century and how these connotations are not only harmful for the community but for their own psychological, mental and physical well being.”
This year, the Finals Stress Event, which HCC has hosted in past years, will be incorporated into Men’s Health Month. According to Limas, it will provide both quick stress relief via massages, puppies and snacks as well as long-term strategies for managing stress in the long run. These stress relief activities will be available to all students, offering female students a chance to become involved. The Finals Stress Event will be held Nov. 17 in Anderson Academic Commons.
“I think it also gives female-identified students the opportunity to learn more about how a variety of health topics can affect the men in their lives,” explained Limas.
The final event of Men’s Health Month will be the Men’s Health Fair that will be held during the DU vs. Utah Valley Men’s Basketball game on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.
According to Limas, the Health Fair will feature key student organizations such as C.A.P.E and HealthY Peer Empowerment (H.Y.P.E) Peer Educators, DU Mind, Queer Student Alliance and Colleges Against Cancer.
Limas added that students are encouraged to follow the HCC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for updates on Men’s Health Month and other events.
