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More than 13,000 attendees will
gather in San Francisco on October 28 for the annual meeting of the American
Public Health Association (APHA), which will focus on “Prevention and Wellness
across the Life Span.” In addition, The Monday Campaigns (TMC), a nonprofit
initiative supported by leading public health schools, will roll out its
award-winning “Man Up Monday” campaign, which uses suggestive images such as
flaming boxer shorts to encourage sexually active men to “man up” and get
tested. The campaign resulted from a collaboration between TMC, the Columbia
Mailman School of Public Health, and the Harlem Health Promotion Center with
the goal of making men more cognizant of such issues as condom use and getting
regular check-ups for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases.
When Planned Parenthood of
Southeastern Virginia (PPSEV) conducted a test pilot of Man Up Monday in tandem
with half-price testing for those individuals who called to schedule a Monday
appointment, PPSEV saw a 200 percent increase in testing over the previous
year. Sid Lerner, founder and chairman of TMC, noted that “the Monday call to
action once again proves its power to get people to listen up and do something
good for their health.” He explains that “people view Monday as a day for a fresh
start. They’re more likely to diet, exercise, quit smoking, and schedule
doctor’s appointments.”
TMC’s Program and Research Director
Morgan Johnson, MPH, feels the APHA conference is the ideal national launching
pad for Man Up Monday since the free campaign will assist public health
professionals who are working to promote health among young men. He goes on to
observe that this population often tends to let health issues go unattended to
until they become acute. Although young people aged 15–24 years of age
represent only 25 percent of the sexually experienced population, estimates
suggest that they acquire approximately half of all newly diagnosed STDs. For
the national roll-out, TMC will continue to work with Planned Parenthood,
schools, and other organizations through posters, billboard ads, and web
videos. Information is available at www.manupmonday.org.
The Monday Campaigns is a nonprofit
public health initiative in association with the Columbia Mailman School of
Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and Maxwell
School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit:
http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
