Men's Health Month and Men's Health Week (June 13-19) call on boys and men to take charge of their overall health by making healthy living decisions, getting regular checkups, and learning about health risks related to their age, ethnicity, and lifestyle. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death for men. Among men aged 20 years or older, 56.8 percent of Black men, 49.4 percent of Asian men, and 46 percent of Latino men are living with hypertension. American Heart Association research has found that between 2015 and 2018, 60.1 percent of Black men, 52.3 of Latino men, and 52 percent of Asian men had some form of cardiovascular disease.
Share the HHS Office of Minority Health (OMH)'s 6 Plays for Men's Health and celebrate Wear BLUE Day on June 17 to remind the men and boys in your life to prioritize their physical and mental health to lead a long and healthy life.
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On February 17, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published a voluntary recall of certain powdered infant formulas from Abbott Nutrition. This voluntary recall has created a shortage of infant formula for families across the country. The federal government is working across agencies—including the FDA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), and the White House—to address the shortfall in infant formula production, including working with other infant formula manufacturers to increase production, expediting the import of infant formula from abroad, and calling on both online and in-store retailers to establish purchasing limits to prevent the possibility of hoarding.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has published a fact sheet in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, and Navajo that includes information on community resources such as local Community Action Agencies, breast milk banks, and the United Way 2-1-1 hotline. Families are encouraged to reach out to these organizations if they are unable to readily find formula, including specialty formulas for older children and adults with rare metabolic diseases.
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National Cancer Survivors Day is observed each year on the first Sunday in June. An individual is considered a cancer survivor from the time of diagnosis through the remainder of life. This day provides an opportunity to draw attention to the ongoing challenges of cancer survivorship in order to promote more resources, research, and survivor-friendly legislation to improve cancer survivors' quality of life.
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Black people have higher death rates than all other racial and ethnic groups for many cancer types. Black men are twice as likely as White men to die of prostate cancer, and Black women have the highest death rates from breast and cervical cancer. American Indian and Alaska Native people have the highest liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer rates, followed by Latinos, Asians, and Pacific Islanders.
Visit the NCI Office of Cancer Survivorship website to find resources and information for survivors, caregivers, healthcare professionals, researchers, and advocates. The NCI Equity and Inclusion Program provide opportunities for public comments on cancer disparities and health equity and funding opportunity announcements and events.
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June 19 is World Sickle Cell Day. Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that affects the body's red blood cells. It occurs when a child receives two sickle cell genes—one from each parent. In someone living with this disease, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a "sickle."
According to the CDC, sickle cell disease occurs among 1 out of every 365 Black births, and about 1 in 13 Black babies is born with sickle cell trait. However, while sickle cell disease is most common among Black people, other racial and ethnic groups are also affected, including Latinos, South Asians, Asian Indians, and people of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean backgrounds.
Blood donations can help save the lives of people with sickle cell disease. Share the REdHHoTT (Registry and Education for Hemovigilance in Hemoglobinopathy Transfusion Therapy) Be the Motivation for Blood Donation brochure and the CDC's Blood Donations Needed among African Americans video about the importance of racial and ethnic minority blood donation for people living with sickle cell disease to encourage your friends and family to donate blood.
Visit the OMH sickle cell disease initiative website to learn more about the latest advances, access resources, and learn about initiatives that are helping to improve the quality of life for people living with this disease.
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National HIV Testing Day is June 27, and this year's theme is "HIV Testing is Self-care." According to the CDC's HIV Surveillance Report, 26 percent of new HIV infections in 2019 were among Black gay and bisexual men, and 23 percent were among Latino gay and bisexual men, with the rate of new HIV infections among Black women at 11 times that of White women.
Knowing your HVI status gives you powerful information to help you stay healthy. There are more HIV testing options than ever before, including laboratory tests, rapid tests (oral fluid or finger stick), and self-testing—a method that allows people to take an HIV test and find out their result in their own home or other private location. Choose the best test option for you and choose to take care of you.
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In honor of Men's Health Month, the OMH Knowledge Center is featuring a collection of resources on men's health. Topics include cardiovascular diseases, prostate cancer, mental health, HIV/AIDS, and more. Many of these resources are available for free. To view this collection in the online catalog, click here.
Looking for more information on a topic included in this collection? View our search tips page for guidance on searching the online catalog, or contact the OMH Knowledge Center directly for research assistance.
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