Report on the Pilot Work of National Male Health Promotion and Education in Communities – Part One by Zhao Yufeng

National Pilot Program for Men's Health Promotion and Education

Community work situation

Zhao Yufeng, Secretary-General of the China Population Culture Promotion Association

October 28, 2004, marked the fifth "Men's Health Day" since the National Population and Family Planning Commission launched the theme "Focusing on Men's Health and Encouraging Men's Participation" on October 28, 2000. The theme for 2004 was "Focusing on Men's Health and Improving Quality of Life." Five years ago, the concept of focusing on men's health quickly gained recognition and attention from all sectors of society, particularly receiving support from the news media and public opinion. The general public actively participated with great enthusiasm, demonstrating the vibrant energy of this new phenomenon. In particular, the practice of pilot communities for men's health promotion and education in recent years has proven that the promotion and services focusing on men's health embody the guiding ideology of people-centeredness and the comprehensive development of individuals. It has played a positive role in encouraging men's participation in family planning, enriching and expanding the "New Marriage and Childbearing Customs Entering Every Household" campaign, establishing scientific, civilized, and progressive marriage and childbearing concepts, building civilized and happy families, and providing high-quality services to the vast majority of people of childbearing age, demonstrating broad social impact and effectiveness.

Five years ago, Wu Jieping, then Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, sent a congratulatory letter to the "Men's Health Promotion and Education Campaign," stating: "This is a very meaningful health education activity. Men's health issues are not only personal issues, but also important social issues." He added, "I hope that the Men's Health Promotion and Education Project will be a good start for the cause of promoting men's health in China."

Not long ago, Comrade Peng Peiyun, former Vice Chairperson of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and President of our association, gave instructions to our association on a document from the Women's Research Institute of the All-China Women's Federation entitled "The Impact of the Implementation of the 'Population and Family Planning Law of the People's Republic of China' on Women's Development-Policy Recommendations from the Perspective of Gender Equality." She instructed our association to study how to better conduct pilot programs for men's health and male participation in family planning, summarize some experiences, and strive to propose to the National Population and Family Planning Commission that this work be gradually promoted nationwide. This instruction demonstrates our high regard for carrying out men's health education and publicity projects and is of great significance for further deepening men's health education and publicity activities.

During the National Day holiday (October 2nd), General Secretary Hu Jintao visited grassroots communities in Beijing, including a pilot community for men's health education (Guang'anmenwai Street, Xuanwu District), where he inspected every house. His cordial conversations with grassroots cadres and residents, and his expressions of concern for their well-being, demonstrate the Party Central Committee's genuine emphasis on grassroots work, its care for grassroots cadres, and its deep concern for the people at the grassroots level. This is a full affirmation of the work done at the grassroots level and a great encouragement and impetus for our efforts in carrying out men's health projects.

I. The men's health program reflects the reform and innovation in population and family planning publicity.

For many years, when discussing family planning, people have been accustomed to focusing on women as the "target group," while neglecting the role of men in family fertility planning, reproductive health decisions, attitudes, and behaviors. With the development of my country's population and family planning work, and the impact of various social, economic, and cultural factors on families and reproductive health, the population and family planning cause is now establishing and implementing a people-centered scientific development concept. Creating a favorable population environment for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and encouraging men to participate in and take responsibility for family planning have become concrete actions taken by grassroots population and family planning departments across the country.

Since the nationwide "New Marriage and Childbearing Customs Entering Every Household" campaign, men's health promotion and education have been widely and deeply carried out. In April 2001, the then National Population and Family Planning Commission's Publicity and Education Department and the China Population Culture Promotion Association jointly organized a conference on men's health promotion and education in Beijing, and entrusted the China Population Culture Promotion Association to organize pilot projects in 50 grassroots communities in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Harbin, and Jinan. This shifted the focus of men's health promotion and education to the community level and into families. In April 2002, the Publicity and Education Department and the Promotion Association invited representatives from the pilot communities to a field experience exchange meeting in Hangzhou, where they visited the city's community-based men's health promotion activities. In January 2003, a meeting was held in Harbin to further summarize and promote grassroots experiences and commend advanced units. In October, we organized training and exchanged experiences from various regions in Chongqing, resulting in significant development and changes in the content, form, and carriers of men's health promotion and education activities in grassroots communities, fully demonstrating the innovative spirit of grassroots community population and family planning work and men's health promotion and education activities.

Two years ago, the promulgation and implementation of the "Population and Family Planning Law of the People's Republic of China" provided policy, theoretical guidance and legal basis for the development of men's health publicity and education, and brought men's health publicity and education into the legal framework.