Indianapolis area men get a Movember checkup
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Illustration: Gabriella Turrisi/Axios
Indianapolis-area health and public safety groups are using Movember to steer men toward preventive screenings and candid conversations about physical and mental health.
Why it matters: Men are less likely than women to have a regular source of care or receive mental health treatment, while Indiana's male suicide rate exceeds the national rate.
Context: Movember is an annual men's health campaign raising awareness and money for prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention.
- Its signature mustache-growing challenge is designed to spark conversations.
By the numbers: Indiana men died by suicide at a rate of 27.6 per 100,000 in 2024, compared with 22.3 nationally, roughly 24% higher, per the Indiana Department of Health.
- Indiana recorded 4,881 new cases of prostate cancer in 2022, making it the state's most commonly diagnosed cancer among men.
- Marion County's late-stage prostate cancer incidence rate was 29.4 per 100,000 in 2018-2022, compared with 26.3 statewide and 26 nationally, according to the National Cancer Institute and CDC State Cancer Profiles.
Zoom in: The Carmel Fire Department is using public art, humor and a physical challenge to start conversations about men's physical and mental health.
- The department has built its campaign around Carmel's Morning Sun roundabout sculpture, using the theme "Everyone Deserves Their Morning Sun," while joking they would be "nuts" to not talk about men's health.
- "We're used to helping others. So sometimes, we're not the best at saying we need help," Carmel Fire Department public information officer Tim Griffin told Axios.
- "Whether it's a mental health problem or whether it's testicular cancer or prostate cancer, everybody deserves their morning sun," he said. "Those have stigmas, but so does mental health, and even more for men. We want to make sure that we're crushing that stigma, and we're saying, 'Hey, it's OK to get help, if you need help."
How it works: For every $5 donated, the department will place a blue flag around the sculpture.
- Proceeds support Building A Refuge, a local men's mental health resource. Firefighters are also taking on a 60-mile walking challenge.
What's next: Franciscan Health will bring Colts football and health screenings together this weekend during the Movember Men's Health Tailgate Party from noon-2pm Sunday at Guggman Haus Brewing Co.
- No registration is required, and the health screenings are free. Health professionals will also answer preventive-care questions.
- The first 200 people completing screenings receive a meal ticket and $10 gift card.
What they're saying: C. Omar Acevedo Arus, a Franciscan Physician Network family medicine physician in Beech Grove, will be among the health professionals answering questions Sunday.
- He said introducing this difficult men's health topic in a fun environment can make a difference
- "I like to think that that'll help people feel more comfortable when maybe discussing things that maybe they haven't told anybody else, or maybe they haven't told their doctor," he said.
- He emphasized that screenings can catch potentially serious conditions before symptoms appear, noting that "you do not need to wait until you feel bad to get it checked out."
The bottom line: Taking care of yourself isn't a weakness. And waiting until something hurts can mean missing an opportunity to catch a problem early.