The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP), the Department of Health and Human Services, Donate Life and the Tasmanian branch of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia are joining forces at Agfest from Thursday 6 May to Saturday 8 May to promote men's preventive health.

What: Agfest, Quercus Park , Carrick
When: Thursday 6 May - Saturday 8 May 2010
Where: The M5 Project team will be located at Site 905 - Ninth Avenue

The M5 Project is inviting men to participate in free health checks delivered by GPs who have volunteered their services. Men can receive free swine flu vaccinations and a general health risk assessment, including blood pressure testing.

Men face a higher death rate than women when it comes to cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, respiratory disease and mental health problems including suicide and accidents.

Dr David Knowles, Chair of the RACGP Tasmania Faculty and GP in Tasmania , said that men tend to present later with health problems, visit their GP less frequently and when they do, they have shorter consultations and are less likely to come in for preventative health checks.

"It is clear that we need to get men talking and make them more comfortable to visit a GP and once there, communicate in a way that encourages them to open up and ask the real questions that are bothering them," said Dr Knowles.

The M5 Project is managed by the RACGP, as GPs are at the forefront of dealing with men's health issues each day. With the assistance of seed funding from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, this initiative has drawn together a diverse group of health organisations all focused on ensuring men live long and rich lives.

As a start, men can take five preventive steps:

- Share your family history with your GP
- Know your healthy weight
- Check your blood pressure
- Stop smoking - it's the only health option
- Maintain a healthy mind and a healthy body.

For more information about the M5 Project, visit http://www.M5project.com.au.

For more information about Agfest, visit http://www.agfest.com.au. Agfest is Tasmania 's main agricultural and regional event held annually, attracting crowds in excess of 70,000.

Source
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners