The Men’s Sheds movement in Ireland has been paramount in providing an alternative setting to enhance the wellbeing of men and is fundamentally changing the narrative around how men do health. The sense of enhanced wellbeing that occurs when a man joins a shed is of no mystery if we really look at what the shed inherently provides for men. Sheds are a home from home for many men that offers social support, a sense of purpose and belonging. All of which have been shown to play a vital role in improving and maintaining wellbeing. These unique health enhancing qualities of the shed have been recognised and acknowledged in our National Men’s Health Policy and Healthy Ireland Men: Action Plan (2017-2021).

Sheds for Life is an innovative approach which was developed to respond to the increasing call by such policies for gender-specific health promotion programmes that target lifestyle and health behaviour change in men. This report signifies the importance of how a tailored community based men’s health promotion programme, developed in collaboration with its intended participants, can have a profound impact in engaging and empowering what are often regarded as a ‘hard to reach’ group (middle-aged and older men) in the care of their own health. The success of Sheds for Life as identified in this report is strongly underpinned by working in partnership and by a range of capacity building measures which have achieved sustainable health and wellbeing outcomes for the men.

P.10 A minority (8.4%) were reported to smoke at baseline, with a significant decrease in amount smoked post SFL (p<0.05). In relation to alcohol, 68.3% were reported to drink alcohol at baseline with a significant decrease in days drinking post SFL but this was not sustained.  

P.16  Many of the disparities in the health gap between genders is equated to preventable lifestyle and risk factors such as; alcohol and drug use, physical activity, diet, exposure to risk and risk taking behaviour, with evidence suggesting that up to 50% of premature male mortality is preventable.

P.42 Table 7: Participant health screening results at baseline - Cigarettes/day and Drink Alcohol.

P.59 4.6 Smoking and Alcohol
Smoking: At baseline, a small percentage (8.4%, n=32) were reported to smoke with 49.7% (n=189) stating that they never smoked and 41.8% (n=159) stating that they were former smokers. Of those who smoked, the number smoked per day ranged from 0 to 40 at T1 with a mean of 2.932 ± 7.097, 0 to 30 at T2 with a mean of 0.807 ± 3.541, 0 to 50.00 at T3 with a mean of 1.958 ± 7.046 and ranged from 0 to 45.00 with a mean of 7.906 ± 11.898. There was a significant decrease in the mean amount smoked per day from T1 to T2 (t=2.411, CI 95% 0.153 to 1.621, p=0.019). There was no significant change thereafter.

Alcohol: At baseline, 68.3% (n=263) reported they drank alcohol. Mean days per week drinking alcohol was 1.608 ± 1.756 at T1, 1.220 ± 1.593 at T2, 1.605 ± 1.680 at T3 and 2.093 ± 1.855 at T4. Mean units per session were 5.796 ± 8.080 at T1, 3.595 ± 3.965 at T2, 4.366 ± 3.448 at T3 and 6.302 ± 4.854 at T4. There was a significant decrease in days drinking per week (t=-2.231, p=0.027) and units per session (t=-3.165, p=0.002) from T1 to T2. There was no significant change thereafter at T3 but a significant increase in units per session at T4 (t=2.862, p=0.005). A repeated measures ANOVA did not find a significant difference between baseline (T1) and T3 or T4 for days drinking per week. There was also no significant difference between T1 and T3 or T4 for units of alcohol consumed per session.

P.89 X. Smoking and Alcohol 
Smoking remains a major public health issue worldwide with a general trend of smoking prevalence being higher among men (Kodriati, Pursell & Hayati, 2019). However, reductions in smoking prevalence among men have been noted in high-income countries and it is positive to note that a small proportion (8.4%) of SFL participants were reported to smoke at baseline with those who did smoke decreasing the amount smoked per day post SFL. This suggests that SFL may have had a modest positive impact on smoking behaviours. Based on the recent reduction of men who smoke in the Irish population to 19%, the modifications in the external environment such as increasing taxes, restricted marketing and smoking-bans are likely to have been a factor in encouraging a percentage of SFL participants (41.8%) quitting tobacco use.

Overall alcohol consumption and frequency of binge drinking is higher in men than in women with up to 54% of Irish men classified as heavy episodic drinkers. Results of SFL suggest that 68.3% of participants consumed alcohol which is less than the national figures for adult males of 79% (Department of Health, 2017). The lower rates of alcohol usage and consumption may be due to the age profile of the SFL participants but nonetheless a positive one with the SFL intervention potentially having a positive effect on alcohol consumption highlighted in the reduction in days drinking and units consumed post SFL. COVID restrictions may also have had an influence on alcohol behaviours and while units of alcohol consumed did increase at 12 months, albeit not significantly higher than baseline, it may warrant targeted intervention on alcohol behaviours in SFL to sustain positive change.