HEALTH specialists in Craven have banded together to stage a special day to promote men's health.

Co-ordinated by the Community Health Council, and sponsored by the Centre for Crisis Psychology the aim is to make men more aware of health issues with the emphasis on interesting and interactive events rather than static displays which simply "lecture".

For example, the day will pose such questions as how much sugar is in a can of peas?; how clean are your hands after washing? how pure is the water you are drinking, given that there are some 2,000 sources of water in the district? and how powerful are your lungs?

Men's health could be described as the Cinderella of the health service, with much more emphasis - and, indeed, spending - being given to women's issues.

Traditionally women have always lived longer than men. At the last count the difference in life expectancy was more than five years. However, a number of recently identified trends has suggested that this state of affairs may not last much longer.

While women appear to be embracing the unhealthy habits of their male contemporaries with growing enthusiasm, men are quietly adopting an increasingly responsible attitude to health. The Craven Men's Health Day aims to continue that trend.

Brewing firm Whitbread recently noted that while alcohol sales to women are rising dramatically (55 per cent of women now drink in bars compared with 23 per cent in 1994) the male barfly is rapidly becoming an endangered species.

The gender gap in smoking rates has also diminished in recent years. In the 20-24 year age group the proportion of women smokers is 36 per cent and rising while the men are 43 per cent and falling.

In one of the more astonishing findings of recent years, men finally appear to have overcome their fear of doctors.

A recent study by the Medical Research Council showed that men are now more likely than women to visit a GP when they become ill. This confirms a trend noted in a study on the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia, in which men suffering problems with their urinary systems were found to be less reluctant to seek medical advice than they were 10 years ago.

The health benefits of this reduced reticence were immediately apparent. The earlier these men received treatment significantly delayed the need for surgery or catherisation to alleviate their symptoms.

And here in Craven the Clear Campaign founded by the Skipton Rotary Club has funded a specialist bowel cancer clinic which is saving lives of local men.

Based at Airedale General Hospital the clinic is the only unit in Britain dedicated to the successful treatment of bowel cancer and it is estimated that it could save 50 lives in Craven each year.

The Craven Herald is backing the Men's Health Day by running a series of articles this week and next on issues relating to men's health. They have been written by specialists.

The Men's Health Day takes place in Skipton Town Hall on Friday July 7.