Question: BUPA has distributed a men's health questionnaire to all MPs. What is the purpose behind this campaign?

Dr Annabel Bentley:BUPA has got involved in men's health because it's an issue that often gets neglected. To put it bluntly men die younger than women and are harder hit by a range of nasty conditions like lung cancer. When they do get ill they wait too long before seeing their doctor. Also, men's health issues have a lower profile in the media than women's.

Targeting MPs seemed like a good idea because we wanted to get people thinking about some of these under-reported issues. The House of Commons includes over 500 men who are mostly in the age bracket where conditions like angina, or prostate trouble are more likely to be personal issues.

One of the ways we will use the results is to say, 'here are the MPs views', what do you think? In other words, we want to use the survey as a hook - a way to engage people constructively and provide them with advice and guidance. I think people often know what's good for them and going on about what's bad for people often doesn't work. We have to come up with different ways to help people change their attitudes and behaviour.

Question: In terms of numbers, how good are MPs at replying?

Dr Annabel Bentley:It's been a really good response rate and many people got back to us promptly. We have been very encouraged by what we have seen. It shows that MPs are interested in men's health and how to engage people in the issue. As an incentive, a BUPA Wellness assessment was given to one respondent (picked at random) for use themselves or to give to one of their constituents.

Question: What are the main health issues currently facing men?

Dr Annabel Bentley:The most striking fact is that men die five years earlier than women. We don't fully understand why this should be, but we do know that men take more risks with their health. They are more likely to smoke and drink too much, which results in more heart disease and cancer. They have more accidents and are more likely to commit suicide. Men are also reluctant to see their GP when something is wrong. For lots of diseases, treatment is much more likely to be successful if the condition is caught early on and men are just too slow in coming forward for help.

Question: Why are men's health issues so under-reported?

Dr Annabel Bentley:Men just don't seem to be into their health in the same way as women and this partly explains why newspapers and magazines don't cover men's issues so well. Women are more likely to discuss their health with other women than men are, and have a well developed appetite for understanding their bodies and making the most of their health and wellbeing.

On the plus side, the women in men's lives could be crucial to the campaign to improve the situation. Men are perhaps more likely to listen to their wives, daughters, sister and mothers than they are to a traditional health promotion campaign.

Question: What sort of questions did you ask?

Dr Annabel Bentley:We asked various questions, but concentrated on three areas:

1. how well they thought men's health was handled by the media

2. where they went for information about men's health issues; and

3. what is the main health issue for men.

Question: What are you going to do with the findings?

Dr Annabel Bentley:The findings will be analysed and will feature as a key part of our campaign on men's health. They will be promoted throughout the media to raise awareness of men's health issues.

I've already mentioned that early detection of health problems leads to better outcomes and although we do not want men to feel lectured about their health this is a key message for men to take home. For example testicular cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting men in the 15 -35 age bracket and if it is caught early it has a high cure rate of over 90 per cent.

Question: Why is BUPA launching this campaign?

Dr Annabel Bentley:BUPA has specially developed services and products for both men and women so we are well placed to run these sorts of campaigns.

As you probably know, BUPA provides private medical insurance (PMI) for millions of members and also runs hospitals and hundreds of care homes throughout the UK. However, treating patients and caring for residents is only half of what BUPA does. BUPA also provides health assessments to thousands of people across the UK so promoting healthy living is absolutely crucial to what we do.

We also run one of the most comprehensive health websites, which contains a wealth of impartial information about health, including key men's health issues. This is not only accessible to BUPA's members but the bulk of our health information is free and accessible to the general public.

As well as MPs, we are running the questionnaire on our intranet to understand how BUPA employees view men's health issues. It is also available on the BUPA microsite on the ePolitix Forum for anyone who wishes to put forward their views.

I suppose, overall, we want to take a fresh approach to men's health - one that recognises that men and women are different and require different communication techniques.

Question: In your experience, how receptive is the Department of Health to your ideas?

Dr Annabel Bentley:BUPA has enjoyed a very good relationship with the Department of Health for a long time.

Our relationship has developed considerably since the signing of the Concordat in 2000 and the opening of the first privately run Diagnosis and Treatment Centre at BUPA Redwood Hospital.

Question: What is BUPA's view on the Foundation Trusts debate?

Dr Annabel Bentley:Foundation Trusts, although interesting should not have a significant impact on BUPA's businesses. The main concern is that, should they compete with independent hospitals, they do so on a level playing field.

Question: Looking forward to the rest of the year, what are your priorities?

Dr Annabel Bentley:My role is to lead BUPA's health information provision. We continue to work on producing evidence-based information for people who are BUPA customers and patients, and on a comprehensive health information resource on the web.

We have also recently published an ABC of health series of fact sheets covering a range of common conditions, treatments and health promotion topics. Copies of these will soon be sent to MPs on a CD and will be available to the public on the web site

The BUPA website has its own men's health pages and there are numerous publications that men can read - especially as research shows they are more reluctant to ask questions than women.

In general, over the coming months I will be trying to encourage more and more men to explore their health and look for information, at the same time as trying to ensure that BUPA provides readily available advice to anyone, should they want it.

Question: Where can people go for more information on men's health?

Dr Annabel Bentley:There are a variety of information sources containing useful general and specific information. Some of these website and book are detailed below. In addition, your GP, as well as pharmacists and GUM clinics can provide face-to-face advice.

General Health information

The BUPA website provides general health information. This site contains a men's health area, health tests and BUPA's ABC of Health.

Men's Health Forum

Man's Health Magazine

There are also a books written about men's health:

Hopcroft and Moulds, 'A Blokes diagnose-it-yourself guide to health' OUP 2000

Banks, 'The Man Manual,' Haynes Publishing 2002

Information on specific conditions relevant to men's health

Smoking

BUPA factsheet

Quit

National Quitline - 0800 002200

NHS Smoking helplines - England and Wales - 0800 1690169, Scotland and Northern Ireland - 0800 848484

Problem Drinking

BUPA factsheet

Alcoholics Anonymous

Stress

BUPA factsheet

Cancer

Cancer Research

BUPA factsheet - Prostate cancer

BUPA factsheet - Testicular cancer

Heart disease

British Heart Foundation

BUPA factsheet - High blood pressure

BUPA factsheet - Angina

BUPA factsheet - Heart attack

Diet, Exercise and Weight

BUPA factsheet - Diet and weight factsheet

BUPA factsheet - Exercise and health fact sheet