CAMBRIDGESHIRE — Free mobile health check units have been established across England, including Cambridgeshire, following the UK government's launch of a men's health strategy in November. These units aim to improve the early detection of conditions such as cancer and heart disease.

Shane Newton, 56, from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire, received a late-stage prostate cancer diagnosis after the disease had spread to his bones. He reported his prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test result was 78; a PSA level over 4 is considered a red flag for his age group. "I kept putting it off, and just left it too long, I realise that now," Newton said. "It's just a man thing. You just don't like to admit you're not feeling good, you just sort of get on with life, you have aches and pains."

Cancer accounts for the largest share of male deaths in England, and heart disease is the single biggest killer. In England, one in five men die before the age of 65, while approximately one in eight women die before that age. Women in England live almost four years longer than men on average. In Cambridgeshire, men constitute about 40% of those attending health checks in surgeries, compared with 60% women.

Newton stated, "Because of work, I did 12-hour shifts, and so I didn't really get much spare time, so I just slept and went back to work the next morning." Dr. Neil Modha, a GP at Thistlemoor Medical Centre in Peterborough, noted that busy jobs can make Monday to Friday services impractical for many patients. "They may come in, for example, telling us they've lost two stones in weight, and we would hope they would have come sooner," Dr. Modha said. "Many people might be in really busy jobs, and so Monday to Friday services may not work for them."

Mobile health check machines in Cambridgeshire are available at locations such as supermarkets, leisure centres, and libraries. These machines can assess body mass index, blood pressure, heart health, and body fat in about ten minutes. Business consultant Michael Hadley, 49, used a mobile health check machine at Huntingdon library, where he was informed his blood pressure was slightly elevated and his body fat was classified as high.

Councillor Luis Navarro, a member of Cambridgeshire County Council, observed that the use of these mobile health check machines is now nearly equally divided between men and women. "It's free, accessible, and the results are almost instant," Navarro said. These machines are linked to GP records and can trigger follow-up calls when necessary.