Blokes urged to get free 5-minute check-up

A mens health van will be in the Tweed this weekend.

JUST DO IT: The Men's Health Educational Rural Van will be in Banora Point this weekend.

MEN in the Tweed are being urged to visit Club Banora this weekend for a free health check.

Rotary Club of Banora-Tweed's Peter Wallace-Harrison said between August and December 2018, almost 1000 men living in rural NSW were given free five-minute routine checks at the Men's Health Educational Rural Van.

"Sixteen of these men were found to be at serious risk and told to seek medical attention urgently,” he said.

"Another 300 or so were advised to visit their GP for further assessment.

"There have been times when nurses have discovered a person's blood pressure has been through the roof and were at immediate risk of a heart attack. They've closed the van and taken that person straight to the nearest hospital.”

Mr Wallace-Harrison said there was plenty of evidence that too many men got so tied up in their day-to-day lives juggling work, business and family they simply didn't make time to keep their health in check.

The free tests include blood pressure, BMI, blood sugar levels and cholesterol.

Mr Wallace-Harrison said that women too should get behind the project and give the men in their lives "a shove in the right direction”.

"Drag them along if you have to - just remind them that five minutes out of their life could potentially save their life,” he said.

The men's health van will be at Club Banora on Saturday and Sunday, April 13-14, from 10am-4pm.