Introduction

We analysed all JSNAs to determine whether they had included gendered data and looked at 54 measures in detail. The aim of this was not only to establish the present situation, but also to help local authorities improve their strategy for male health so that local gendered data is easily available and used in JSNAs.

Local authorities in England have a pivotal statutory role in health care for their local areas. Through a JSNA they determine the health issues in the local population and develop a health and wellbeing strategy accordingly.

Men’s health is a key issue in all areas. One in five men die before the age of 65. Male life expectancy varies by local area and so it is vital that local authorities recognise and address the health needs in their local population.

The table below shows the gap in male life expectancy between local authorities in England, illustrating the need for men’s health to be specifically addressed in all JSNAs. 

JSNAs should include local and gender specific data. This means that the data is specific to the local area and has statistics on both men and women

Male Life Expectancy

Best 5 Local Authorities

South Cambridgeshire 83.0
Hart  83.0
East Dorset 82.7
Waverley 82.6
Kensington and Chelsea 82.6

 

Worst 5 Local Authorities

Hyndburn 76.4
Liverpool 76.2
Burnley 75.6
Manchester 75.5
Blackpool  74.3
 

The Men’s Health Forum need your support

It’s tough for men to ask for help but if you don’t ask when you need it, things generally only get worse. So we’re asking.

In the UK, one man in five dies before the age of 65. If we had health policies and services that better reflected the needs of the whole population, it might not be like that. But it is. Policies and services and indeed men have been like this for a long time and they don’t change overnight just because we want them to.

It’s true that the UK’s men don’t have it bad compared to some other groups. We’re not asking you to ‘feel sorry’ for men or put them first. We’re talking here about something more complicated, something that falls outside the traditional charity fund-raising model of ‘doing something for those less fortunate than ourselves’. That model raises money but it seldom changes much. We’re talking about changing the way we look at the world. There is nothing inevitable about premature male death. Services accessible to all, a population better informed. These would benefit everyone - rich and poor, young and old, male and female - and that’s what we’re campaigning for.

We’re not asking you to look at images of pity, we’re just asking you to look around at the society you live in, at the men you know and at the families with sons, fathers and grandads missing.

Here’s our fund-raising page - please chip in if you can.

Registered with the Fundraising Regulator