Movember Outcomes
Click on the video image below to see the outcomes of funds raised by Movember.Funds raised by Movember in 2008 were split between the Cancer Society of New Zealand and the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand and have been used to fund the following programs:
The Cancer Society of New Zealand
01
Field Days 2009: The Cancer Society has had a presence at New Zealand’s annual National Agricultural Field Days for the past three years, promoting men’s health issues, in particular prostate cancer, to the predominantly male audience of 130,000. Field Days presents the Cancer Society with an opportunity for face-to-face discussions and low-key information dissemination of men’s health issues, particularly prostate cancer.
02
Research: Funds from Movember 2008 have already been invested in two research projects. The first is called the RADAR Prostate Cancer Trial and is being led by Professor D Lamb. The RADAR trial, which is in its third year, includes comprehensive pathological studies designed to better predict the behavior of individual cancers.
The second study is being led by Dr. Justin Keogh and seeks to improve the health and quality of life of prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Many patients undergo ADT to slow disease progression, most often resulting in severe physical and quality-of-life adverse effects. Recent research has indicated that physical activity may reverse many of these ADT side effects and so the study aims to investigate this further.
The Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand
As a direct result of Movember funds, The Mental Health Foundation has been able to further support its Out of the Blue (OOTB) awareness campaign which aims to put depression on the public agenda. It was launched in 2005 and has grown in strength every year.
The Mental Health Foundation employed Campaign Manager, Boris Sokratov in April 2009 to take the campaign forward. To guide the planning of the next phase of OOTB, Boris has consulted widely – internally within the Mental Health Foundation; externally with the Ministry of Health, other health sector service providers/organisations, service users, consumer advocates, health professionals including GP’s, Psychologists, Psychiatrists and by accessing national and international research.
Four awareness raising initiatives have been identified and are currently in the early stages of development. They are:
01
The redevelopment of the OOTB website
02
A suite of media activities to raise awareness of men’s depression, which includes a pilot TV show in conjunction with Maori television
03
A short story writing competition
04
A touch football/physical health programme
The vision of the Mental Health Foundation is: “To forever change the way men feel, think, talk and behave in relation to our mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing; and in doing so encourage us to take ownership of our own health.”
Raising the awareness and understanding of prostate cancer and depression
Movember's first campaign objective is to raise the awareness and understanding of men's health issues, specifically prostate and depression in men.
We want everyone to know that men over the age of 50, and those over 40 with a family history, are at risk of prostate cancer and encourage them to be tested annually. Prostate cancer is curable if detected and treated early, however, there are normally no early symptoms underpinning the necessity of regular screening.
We also want to remove the stigma associated with men experiencing depression and have everyone understand that it is a disease that they can talk about, and for which they should seek help.
Movember’s awareness campaign aims to increase the understanding of the health issues faced by men, facilitate early detection and diagnosis, which allows for more effective treatment. This will ultimately reduce the number of deaths from prostate and testicular cancer.
Based on our campaigns to date, Movember has conducted research with our registered Mo Bros, Sistas and donors based on previous campaigns. This research was conducted by an independent third party and is one of the key ways in which we track the efficacy of our awareness campaign. It is our intention to continue with this research in order to assess and report back on the progress made each year.
The 2008 findings revealed the extent to which participants are listening and acting on the men’s health messaging they receive.
The latest research produced some extremely encouraging statistics concerning the changing behavior of Mo Bros. As the statistics below highlight, as a direct result of Movember, men are beginning to change their attitudes and habits relating to their health.
- 82% of Mo Bros talked about men’s health with friends, family or work colleagues
- 55% of Mo Bros did some of their own research into the causes Movember supports
- 13% sought medical advice
- 38% encouraged someone else to seek medical advice
