The Men's Health Forum's Patron busts the myths on male death.
In a new blog, Professor Alan White writes that due to common misconceptions, the biggest killers in men have less attention given to them.
Alan says that the actual biggest killers in men are lung cancer and heart attacks, with suicide claiming many male lives as well, and not land transport accidents or testicular cancer.
He argues that the media are often responsible for these misconceptions:
We hear of assault deaths in the papers because its newsworthy; the 320+ per week deaths from lung cancer are missed unless someone is affected...Road traffic accidents can cause mayhem, but the silent tragedy of suicide on family and friends is lost.
Alan argues we need change:
We don’t want to frighten our public, but we would benefit from getting some perspective into the men’s health debate, such that we can support the important work in encouraging the whole health and social care sector to take it more seriously.
The Men’s Health Forum’s Men’s Health Manifesto highlights the scale of the challenge in the UK, with one man in five still dying between the ages 16 and 65. The manifesto sets out the changes needed to tackle the gender health inequalities.
The Gender Data Deficit report highlights the need for local and disaggregated data to be used in JSNAs so that local authorities and CCGs understand the health issues affecting men in their area.
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