STRIVE: A Wellness Program for Men

American males experience a higher mortality rate for every one of the top 10 leading causes of death. Men are twice as likely as women to die of heart disease, are more likely to be uninsured, may lead less healthy lifestyles, and engage in more risk-taking behaviors.

STRIVE (Sustaining Translation about Health Risks and Interventions to SurVive through Education), a men’s health and wellness program, is developed to address disease management and health related issues within the male population through consumer and professionally focused educational and informational programs. The components within the STRIVE program are developed to promote awareness about risk factors, prevention, treatment, research, policy, and advocacy. Program content is created for participating cities to engage public, private, non-profit, and faith-based sectors to:

  • stimulate research participation;
  • identify, motivate, educate, empower, and join communities; and
  • to create sustainable health and wellness collaborative programs.

The programs are developed in collaboration with professional and consumer communities. STRIVE seeks to create academic, private and public partnerships that bring together organizations and individuals whoseparticipation demonstrates that intense community involvement can produce dynamic interaction between the program and community. The programs are developed to measure the benefit derived from participating in these activities, the level of understanding about men’s health, family history, and gauge interest levels in participating in clinical research.

STRIVE is a component of the S-THRIVE (Sustained Translation of Health Risk and Interventions to SurVive through Education) Initiative which also includes THRIVE (Translating Health Risk and Interventions to SurVive through Education), a women’s health and wellness program. The THRIVE program is developed to examine how women may be affected differently by disease symptomology and to discuss the uniqueness of diseases and conditions in women. Just as with STRIVE, increasing awareness, visibility, and generating momentum about health and wellness are core aims.

The S-THRIVE Initiative aims to publish information gathered around the influence of educational and information programs – utilizing community-based programs that coincide with national efforts – to successfully promote health and wellness awareness and disease prevention and management control. We believe there is an affirmative association between community-based programs and the promotion of health, wellness, and health seeking behavior.