Men’s health in focus at holistic engagement day

In response to rising rates of non-communicable diseases and a growing mental health crisis, a comprehensive men’s health and engagement day was held on Saturday, which provided men with a space to prioritise their well-being and reconnect with their community.

The event at The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill campus, offered screenings for colon health, diabetes, cholesterol, and blood pressure, while incorporating social and physical activities to build a sense of community.

Attendees participated in sports and leisure activities, including cricket, football, basketball, road tennis, and jiu-jitsu demonstrations. Personal care services, such as free haircuts and massages were provided, alongside educational cooking demonstrations led by nutritionists to debunk the myth that healthy eating is prohibitively expensive.

The initiative was hosted by the Roots Wellness Movement, a collective of practitioners, in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

Speaking on the mental health challenges facing men, co-founder of Roots Wellness Movement Shereen Haines spoke of the pressures of unrealistic digital expectations.

“The big trend is the issues with social media and people trying to live by expectations that are not realistic. People look at social media and see all these different things that are happening and people living a certain way of life, and are thinking that they are not enough or they don’t have enough because of what they see, not realising that a lot of the social media isn’t real, it’s a fallacy, and it’s a way to entertain,” she said.

“It sends people into a wave of depression or stress or anxiety and feeling that they’re not enough, and when they feel that way and try to strive to be what they cannot be, it’s never going to happen.”

Haines warned that these pressures are also affecting children as young as five and contribute to body image struggles.

Combined with a culture of “instant gratification” and high access to processed fast foods, she described the situation as creating a “perfect storm” for the country’s current health “pandemic”.