SMOKING and lack of exercise are the areas that young Irish men are most anxious to address in order to improve their health, according to a survey.
The Irish Heart Foundation survey of men between the ages of 18 and 45 showed, that almost 25 per cent of those who smoked did not consider the habit unhealthy.
A quarter of the men surveyed felt they would like to do something about taking up exercise but fewer than half had made an effort.
A good sex life was cited by one in eight as a measure of being healthy, half identified exercise, while a third referred to weight.
The main reasons given in the survey of 253 urban and rural young men, carried out by DCU, not to make positive changes to their lifestyle were lack of time, no willpower and work pressures.
The men surveyed were more inclined to cite the personal benefits of a healthy lifestyle such as feeling better, fitter and more energetic, rather than the benefit of being less prone to heart or cancer.
This group is the target of the foundation's Heart Week. "Real, Men Get Heart Disease" is the theme of the week beginning next Monday.
It aims to make younger men, in particular, more aware of the need to look after their health, now in order to reduce a risk of heart disease later.
According to Prof Ian Graham, president of the Irish Heart Foundation, "too many men care about their health only after a heart attack or stroke. They are the lucky ones. They get a second chance".
Last year, 7,265 Irish men died from heart attack, stroke and other circulatory diseases. Heart disease still kills more Irish men of all ages than any other disease.
The Minister of State for Health, Mr Brian O'Shea, said at the launch yesterday that the message of Irish Heart Week is the need for the individual to take control of his own life.
"The positive tone of empowerment does not rely on hectoring but encourages young men to actively go about making a change."
It encourages young men to exercise most days of the week for about 30 minutes, to eat a variety of foods, not to smoke, to drink in moderation and have blood pressure and cholesterol checked by a family doctor.
To further encourage them to make some changes now, the foundation and Happy Heart Groups, in association with the eight health boards, are organising events throughout the State.
These include a couch potato challenge in Sligo, health information meetings with Macra groups, and a soccer tournament in Astropark, Tallaght.