Every month there is a range of national health promotion campaigns in the UK. October is a great month for this. There are initiatives for all the major health promotion areas in this month. Some of these run for the whole month, some are week long initiatives and some stand out for one day. Here is a synopsis of the campaigns should you want to learn more or join in:
- Stoptober: quit smoking supported by this NHS initiative
- Sober October: cut out or cut down on your alcohol consumption to give your liver a rest and raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support at the same time
- National Cholesterol Month: sponsored by HeartUK, this initiative aims to make people more aware of the importance of healthy cholesterol levels in heart health and how to achieve this through diet and exercise
- Breast Cancer Awareness Month: October has been the pink month for this health promotion initiative for many years now. The aim is to promote awareness of the signs and symptoms of breast cancer. Fundraising efforts focus on ‘Wear It Pink’ Day which is 23 October
- Health Eating Week 28 September to 04 October. This initiative is organised by the British Nutrition Foundation. There is a different theme for every day from eating more wholegrains and varying your veg to eating together
- Back Care Awareness Week runs between 05-09 October. It is sponsored by the medical charity Back Care. The theme this year is back care in nursing but you can learn about all aspects of back care by accessing their website
- National Clean Air Day is on 08 October. This is promoted by the charity Global Action Plan with the aim of raising awareness of the need to reduce air pollution for the health and wellbeing of the general population
- World Mental Health Day is on 10 October but the campaign working up to this is already in place, working up to the day itself. The theme is ‘Mental Health for All’. It is organised by the Mental Health Foundation
- National Work Life Week is sponsored by the Working Families organisation and runs between 12-16 October. The focus is on the availability of flexible working from employers
- World Menopause Day is 18 October and the theme this year is Premature Ovarian Insufficiency. It is organised by the International Menopause Society
There are many initiatives to stimulate you to learn more, get involved and possibly change your health profile and habits in the short or long term.