POSTbrief 56: Men’s Health (contributor)

Ramsay, David A, Bunn, Sarah and Hadley, Robin A ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4254-7648 (2023) POSTbrief 56: Men’s Health (contributor). In: POSTbrief. Research Report. UK Parliament, London.

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Abstract

In the UK, several physical and mental health conditions disproportionately impact men. Men are more likely to experience poor health outcomes for a variety of conditions such as some cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and are more likely to die by suicide, when compared with women. On average in the UK, women live almost 4 years longer than men. Although this gap has narrowed historically, it recently widened because of the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of health and wider inequalities between different groups of men, there are also significant disparities in life expectancy between some groups of men. The underlying causes of poor men’s health outcomes broadly relate to many interconnected factors such as: socio-economic factors protected characteristics behavioural factors health-seeking behaviours psychological factors. There are several risk factors that are more common among men than women in the UK. Evidence suggests that there are certain health inequalities between distinct groups of men, as well as other populations, including transgender and non-binary communities. Sex and gender specific health policy in the UK is a current topic of discussion. Public health policies in England are predominantly condition- and outcome-focused. However, there are some specific health interventions targeted at men at a national, regional and community level. The Men’s Health Forum (a charity with the aim of improving the health of men and boys in the UK) has been leading a campaign for a national strategy on men’s health with support from several UK charities and the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on issues affecting men and boys. The APPG subsequently published a report on “The Case for a Men’s Health Strategy” in Feb 2022. In July 2023, the House of Commons Health and Social Care Committee launched an inquiry on men’s physical and mental health outcomes. Outside the UK, there have been several national men’s health strategies including in Ireland (first published 2008) and Australia (published in 2010 and updated in 2019). In November 2023, the UK Government announced that a Men’s Health Ambassador would be appointed along with the establishment of a men’s health task and finish group, focusing on increasing awareness of certain conditions and health needs faced by men and improving men’s engagement with health services.