Summary
Men in England are facing “a silent health crisis”, dying nearly four years earlier than women, while suffering disproportionately higher rates of cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to a new report by the Local Government Association.
Content
The report, Men’s health: The lives of men in our communities, highlights severe inequalities, with men in deprived areas living up to 10 years less than their affluent counterparts and facing a 20-year gap in healthy life expectancy.
It found socio-economic and behavioural factors, including higher levels of smoking and excessive drinking, as contributory factors.
In addition, the report says four out of every five suicides are by men.
The LGA, which represents councils, is urging the Government to implement a men's health strategy similar to the women's health strategy of 2022. It wants men’s health to be recognised as “a national concern”.
It is also calling for local suicide prevention funding to be reinstated. The £57 million fund, which goes to councils to provide vital support for those at risk of suicide, ended in March.
Meanwhile, local councils are taking action through innovative approaches to support men's health.
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