He was concerned about his health, but rarely seemed able to get to his GP or health clinic.

But when an innovative health scheme - designed to bring services to men - gave Brian a health check, they found the 55-year-old parks manager could have been living on borrowed time.

Tests showed he had high blood pressure. 2007 calendar health man man health magazine and found not only did he have hypertension, but because it had been undetected for some time his heart was also enlarged and damaged.

‘No symptoms’

“They said it could be a hereditary problem and I could have gone at any time,” said Brian.

“The health team probably saved my life, and to be quite honest I only went for the tests by accident.”

I think generally speaking men will sit on stuff for a couple of weeks hoping it will go away Brian Johnson

Brian’s is a familiar tale to health experts, who are concerned by a lack of men attending health clinics.

In a bid to combat this, the Bradford Health of Men team are taking their services to the men instead.

As well as the traditional clinic setting, the team have also targeted barber’s shops, clubs and pubs.

They also take their health MOTs into workplaces in the city, one of which was Bradford City Council, where Brian works.

Brian said the test results had given him quite a scare, which had made him reassess his lifestyle.

“One of them took my cholesterol and weight and they were fine, but then he took my blood pressure and said it was very high.

“He thought the machine was wrong and he took it again, but it was still high so he told me to go to my doctor.

“I smoked a lot and drank a lot. I was drinking about 100-120 units a week. I was never drunk but I would always have a pint and then another pint.”

Even though his father had already collapsed with a heart attack, surviving only because of the quick actions of a passing nurse, Brian had still been reluctant to get his own health checked out.

“I had no symptoms. There was nothing at all.

“I think generally speaking, men will sit on stuff for a couple of weeks hoping it will go away. I do not think the health service is geared to men.”

Since his check-up Brian has reduced his drinking by 75-80%.

Man health workout routine settings

Pete Westwood, a public health practitioner working with the project, said it aimed to reach men who would not normally come forward for help.

“While we do some work in traditional settings, we do a lot of work in innovative places.

“We go to the places where blokes are and we are gaining the trust of the people there.

These practitioners have taken their initiative to the men and boys rather than waiting for them to come to a health centre Professor Alan White

“Sometimes we are giving clinical tests, sometimes we are giving talks. We are picking up on people’s high cholesterol and helping them with their smoking cessation.”

Schemes have included health promotion work in schools, health pub quizzes, smoking cessation, weight management classes and workplace initiatives.

Pete said the workplace initiatives were proving very popular.

“Men are concerned about their health. We give them the opportunity to join a group through work, to help them stop smoking or lose weight if they want and we have had a good response as far as blokes are concerned.

“They like the 39 health magazine man s
and the banter of doing this at work. Men are on their own patch.”

Professor Alan White, professor of men’s health at Leeds Metropolitan University, said radical schemes like this were changing the way men accessed health care.

“What typifies the majority of services offered is that many are not what you can class as ‘conventional.’

“Clinics are being set up in barbers’ shops, in bars, in factories; events being staged at fishing 2006 health issue man september
, football grounds, dad’s and lad’s weekends.

“These practitioners have taken their initiative to the men and boys, rather than waiting for them to come to a health centre, where ‘well man’ clinics were dismally empty or accessed by the occasional ‘well man.’”