Haynes awarded medical publishing accolades

It was announced on Tuesday 8th September, that Haynes, known worldwide for publishing automotive manuals, has won two Commended awards in the 2009 British Medical Association (BMA) annual medical book competition for its Men and Babies and Men & Work 'mini manuals' produced in conjunction with the Men's Health Forum (MHF).

The influential BMA competition encourages and rewards excellence in medical publishing. Doctors and educators appraise entries to the competition. The reviewers are asked to consider accuracy, currency, originality, book production quality and whether the title meets the needs of its audience. The appraisals and the books themselves are then evaluated by specialist panels, arriving at recommendations for a winner and highly commended awards in each category. The awards to Haynes recognise the company's significant contribution to this field in recent years.

Haynes has published a wide range of manuals in its Family & Health Series including: Woman, Man, Sex, Baby, Toddler, Teenager, Cancer and HGV (Weight Control). Each is in the trademark Haynes format - written in plain English with a touch of humour by an authority on the subject with explanatory photographs, diagrams and cartoons, diagnosis (fault-finding) charts and useful contacts.

The collaboration with the MHF began in 2002 and has built successfully on the appeal of Haynes manuals to males and the Forum's expertise on medical matters, in particular that of Dr. Ian Banks, President of the Forum and author of most of the manuals. Notoriously reluctant to consult a doctor, men have access to important medical information through the various manuals and the Forum's website.

The mini manual Men and Babies, one of the award winners, is from a series of male-targeted health information booklets commissioned by the MHF. Other titles include Prostate Cancer, Stop Smoking and Living Healthily. The content of most of these mini manuals is based on the full-size manuals in the series. In total more than one million have been printed in the last 5 years.

Men & Work, the other award winner, was a bespoke publication produced specifically for Men's Health Week 2008 - again in conjunction with the MHF - as part of the government's Health, Work and Wellbeing initiative. It covers topics such as healthier eating, back pain, coping with workplace stress and stopping smoking. In the best tabloid tradition, page 3 shows a topless model - a man complete with 'man-boobs' - and the book highlights startling statistics such as Only 21% of men manage to eat five portions of fruit and veg each day and Back pain in the UK causes 9.5 million lost working days per year.

We do have good evidence that these manuals reduce the delay in men seeking professional health advice even so future editions may well need the axiom When all else fails please read the instruction manual' because we have a long way to go in addressing mens use of primary care services. Dr Ian Banks, President of the Men's Health Forum

Speaking about the BMA awards, Matthew Minter, Editorial Director of Haynes Manuals, said: "This is welcome recognition of the high quality of the Haynes Family and Health Series of manuals. We know that the Haynes manual format is one that men readily associate with, which is why it is an excellent way of presenting important health information. The collaboration with the Men's Health Forum has been enjoyable and instructive on both sides, and we look forward to developing it further."

The awards took place at BMA House on Tuesday 8th September 2009.

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