MOD005915: Promoting Health & Wellbeing through Men's Sheds Initiative

This essay examines the concept of Men's Sheds, a community-based initiative that originated in Australia, as a means of promoting health and wellbeing among men. It highlights the lower life expectancy and increased susceptibility to illness among men due to factors like alcohol consumption, poor lifestyle choices, unemployment, and social isolation. The essay discusses how Men's Sheds provide a supportive environment for men to connect socially, share skills, and address mental health concerns, ultimately improving their overall wellbeing. It also explores various social determinants of health, such as gender, masculinity, social class, and access to leisure activities, and how Men's Sheds can positively influence these determinants by providing a sense of community and purpose for men, especially older and retired individuals. The essay concludes that Men's Sheds are a valuable intervention for improving men's health by fostering social connections, promoting mental wellbeing, and addressing key social determinants of health.

PROMOTING HEALTH
AND WELLBEING

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION
Health and wellbeing is one of the major aspect with relation to men and women. But
although men are highly exposed to illness and risk because of the exposure of mental stress and
various other diseases. This means that along with the raising threat of getting affected and
exposed to health risk, the concept of Men Shed is started in 1990 in Australia that enable the
best space which would lead to raise the health consciousness among men (Foster, Munoz and
Leslie, 2018). This essay will discuss the aspect of health and wellbeing along with the concept
of Men Shed. Likewise, a discussion of various social determinant would also be a part of this
essay.
MAIN BODY
Health and wellbeing is one of the major concept that has lead to the emergence of
community men group which is called Men’s Shed. Men have lower expectancy than women
and they are more susceptible to illness. As per the intervention it was observed that men have
lower life expectancy and are more inclined towards the health issues.
Alcohol consumption and poor lifestyle is one of the major cause that is associated with the
poor life expectancy and illness. Along with the habit of excessive drinking and suspect towards
the early retirement would lead to raise loneliness in the life of men which would lead to have a
direct impact towards the health of men (Kelly and et.al., 2019). This may be related with the
occurrence to cardiovascular diseases in the old age and poor mental health that would lead to
raise the bad habits that would ultimately affect the health of men.
Exposure towards the unemployment with the changing market situation, raising of pressure
that is related with the maintenance of family also lead to raise the mental pressure among men.
This would further assist in the occurrence of poor health and related issues. In the same way
retirement and loss of work is also an important reason that would lead to the occurrence of
social isolation and loneliness. This is because with the loss of work a man loose its social circle,
its colleagues and friends. This would lead to affect the men because it creates the situation in
which there would be no support for the men’s mental peace and health and as a result raise the
stress situation. This is also having a direct association with wellbeing and raising of mental
illness.

Likewise, men are less engaged towards the activities that are associated with improvement
in the health and are more indulger in such activities that would lead to raise the risk of illness
and health issues (Mauvais-Jarvis and et.al., 2020). This could be evidenced with the aspect of
low participation in health activities and consciousness towards good diet. Instead of this they
are more engaged in relation with alcohol consumption i.e. bad habits that would lead to have a
sever bad impact towards their health. They also keep distance from taking up of mental health
treatment that includes therapy or meditation. This would not be wrong to state that they are
hard to reach group which could not be approachable with respect to consideration towards
health consciousness.
In relation to these danger and aspects that are associated and lead to affect the men’s health
has give an idea of development of community group which would be known as Men’s Shed. It
is one of the major movement and community group that was firstly started in Australia in
1990’s. Along with its introduction it gradually spread across the world that would work in the
direction of safeguarding the life of men and raise awareness towards health and wellbeing. The
Men’s Shed association are now available in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and
various other countries including USA and Sweden. This model is solely concerned towards the
raising of health awareness among men across the world and reduce e the impact of illness.
Men’s shed is commonly called as space or open area or workshop that would allow men to
make participate in recreational and meaningful social activities that would lead to raise learning
and social awareness and connectivity among them (Australian Men's Shed Association, 2019).
As loneliness and lack of social contact is one of the major cause that is related with the poor
mental health among men so with the movement of Men’s Shed an opportunity would be
enabled to men that they can make social contact and make their mind to be free from stress.
Men’s Shed will enable support to men with the enabling of men derived environment or
masculine environment and surrounding that would lead to impact the health in terms of raising
of mental peace and relaxation. This means with the help of Men’s shed an interaction and free
movement of thinking and informal experience would enable other men to have a creation of
comfortable environment that would work in the direction of removal of tension and pressure
from mind that has been occurred because of retirement or loss of employment. This community
group would be right to consider that it is the best movement which would lead to raise the
awareness among men regarding health without directly engaging them in health related

activities. Men’s Shed is considered as one of the best place especially for older men who would
enabled friendly and masculine environment in shed along with the aspect and exposure of work
life balance. This would work for the reduction of the situation of social isolation. As this age is
associated and demand a good social environment wherein old man can make sharing of their
views and get good social exposure. But at the same time with the extreme and hectic schedule
of life, families would not being able to provide such social environment which is being expected
and needed by older men especially the one who are retired and have loose contact towards
friends and colleagues. But with the movement and concept of Men’s Shed they get good and
desired environment which allows them to live life in normal way. This would also assist them to
make contact with the same age men that lead to stress reduction and reduction of mental trouble
(Watt, 2017). This would further lead to assist and encourage to live a good and healthy life
among men.
In the same way there could be various reason and aspect that suggest that men must join
this campaign because it will enable them to make sharing of views and skills with other. It
provides an opportunity to retired men to make sharing of their views and skills if they wish to.
Likewise, with the exposure to various recreational activities and fun activities the mental
pressure and isolation state of men would be removed (Why join a men’s sheds?, 2021).
Likewise, a search for same age friend would also be considered as one of the major reason for
the joining of Men Shed. It provides the good social and positive environment to men that they
lack in their life and as a result get exposed to various diseases. This means Men Shed would
work in the direction of enabling positivity in the life of men.
This would not be wrong to state that Men’s Shed is one of the connectivity pin that work in
the way which would join the men with the habit of health consciousness. This would lead to
raise health awareness among them. In the same way it would also be right to state that Men’s
Shed emerge because of such careless and low inclined behaviour of men towards the health and
related issues. Likewise, raising of illness and poor exposure to health services has lead to the
development of Men’s Shed which would offer good health services and environment that would
lead to raising of wellbeing and good health among men. In other words to a severe extent and
high intensity of exposure to illness and poor health among men give rise to the emergence of the
concept of Men Shed in Australia which is now becoming an important and common movement

in entire world that is working in the improvement of men’s health who are making a
participation in it.
Men shed is a community based programme that work for the men community and wherein
men come in group and learn, they make friendship and share skills along with making of long
term good relation with the same age group men or friends. As it is a intervention that men are
highly exposed to risk but at the time are they are far away from healthy wellbeing and health
awareness. But with the help of community group this intervention come to end because it enable
the men a familiar and most appropriate environment that would lead to raise heal effectiveness
among them and get them attach to good health and wellbeing.
With reference to the success of the intervention related with the Men Shed and wellbeing
there are various social determinants. It may include the gender and masculinity which has a
direct association with the wellbeing of men in terms of enabling adequate social environment
(Robertson and Baker, 2017). In the same way the older people usually face inequality issues in
terms of social class that would occur as a challenge that may impact the mental peace. This
means along with a wide range of social determinants leisure and social activities are counted as
one of the main strand. This means that with the aspect of enabling of social environment the
older people would not only feel comfortable but this would directly impact their health in terms
of leading a good life. Likewise, it would be right to state that through the concept of Men Shed
there would be an enabling of positive environment among men especially to old retire men who
are isolated from the society. This way Men Shed would likely to influence the social
determinant of health with the providing of relatively disadvantaged group with the intervention
of enabling good health and wellbeing among them with the participation in Men Shed. This
means with the making of improvement in social determinant including masculinity there would
be a direct impact towards the health of men in terms of improvement.
Thus, it would be right to state that social determinants would vary as per the men and their
requirement. This means isolation, social discrimination, inequality, masculinity, unemployment
and various other (Wilson and Cordier, 2021). But along with the fulfilment of these needs
through the concept of Men Shed, the social determinants would be easily dealt that would
further be assisted in terms of improvement in the health among men. In the same way various
other social determinants including mental health literacy, shame and self-stigma, service
acceptability and various other would have a direct impact towards the health of men (Rice,

Purcell and McGorry, 2018). Thus, it is very essential that there must be a presence of adequate
rules and policies so that the health issues would be dealt easily. The concept of Men Shed would
work well in this in terms of enabling such space that would lead to deal with social determinants
and ensure an exposure to good health.
Although men offered better employability in comparison with females but with the aspect
of fear of loss of job and work pressure social determinant of loneliness and mental pressure and
stress would come into existence that would lead to impact the mental health of men. Thus, it
would be right to state that with the identification of key social determinants the most suitable
policy community group would be able to get developed that would assist good health and
wellbeing.
CONCLUSION
From the above essay it would be concluded that men are highly exposed to risk and health
issued while making it compared with women. Although they get better facility and opportunity
in comparison with females but still the risk and carelessness towards the aspect of health is high
in men while making it compared it women because of the aspect of various reason including
illness, alcohol exposure, unemployment and various other. The concept and movement of Men
Shed has work in favour of this aspect under which a suitable masculine environment is provided
to men so that they can relive their life. This would be counted as major step towards the
enhancement of life of men.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Australian Men's Shed Association, 2019. What is a Men’s Shed?.
Foster, E.J., Munoz, S.A. and Leslie, S.J., 2018. The personal and community impact of a
Scottish Men's Shed. Health & Social Care in the Community. 26(4). pp.527-537.
Kelly, and et.al., 2019. Men's Sheds: A conceptual exploration of the causal pathways for health
and well‐being. Health & social care in the community. 27(5). pp.1147-1157.
Mauvais-Jarvis, and et.al., 2020. Sex and gender: modifiers of health, disease, and medicine. The
Lancet. 396(10250). pp.565-582.
Rice, S.M., Purcell, R. and McGorry, P.D., 2018. Adolescent and young adult male mental
health: transforming system failures into proactive models of engagement. Journal of
Adolescent Health. 62(3). pp.S9-S17.
Robertson, S. and Baker, P., 2017. Men and health promotion in the United Kingdom: 20 years
further forward?. Health Education Journal. 76(1). pp.102-113.
Watt, J.C., 2017. Ageing and the continuity of masculine identity in a Scottish men's shed: an
ethnographic enquiry (Doctoral dissertation, University of Aberdeen).
Online references
Why join a men’s sheds?., 2021. [Online]. Available through <https://menssheds.ie/about-mens-
sheds/>
Wilson, J., and Cordier, R., 2021. Community-based Men's Sheds: promoting male health,
wellbeing and social inclusion in an international context. [Online]. Available through
<https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/29/3/483/764913>
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