“‘Health for All’ became the slogan for a movement. It was not just an ideal but an organizing principle: Everybody needs and is entitled to the highest possible standard of health.” — Former WHO Director General Lee Jong-wook
See:
- The Crisis of Men’s Health – emphasis on the United States
- Supportive Statements by Lawmakers
LIFESPAN GENDER GAP
- Men face a global lifespan gender gap of 5 years: Men: 68.9 years; Women: 73.9 years.
- This disparity varies dramatically across countries. See table —>
Key Articles:
- James Nuzzo: Bias Against Men’s Issues Within the United Nations and the World Health Organization
- Morna Cornell: Men’s Health Policies: Long Overdue
- Edward Bartlett: Did Medical Research Routinely Exclude Women?
Strategies and Solutions
- Observe International Men’s Health Week, celebrated every year in June.
- 10 Policy Steps:
- Collect, analyze, and publish wide-ranging and regularly updated data on men’s health to provide a guide to where action is needed and to its impact and effectiveness.
- Engage senior decision-makers, including politicians, to achieve faster and more significant progress.
- Listen to men’s voices to understand better what their needs are and how best to meet them.
- Introduce men’s health policies that address their health needs and integrate men’s health into other health policies, all with clearly identified and realistic deliverables.
- Develop outreach services that engage men ‘where they are’, such as local communities, sports venues, faith organisations, or online.
- Recognise the differences between men and focus attention on those groups facing multiple layers of disadvantage and who experience the worst health outcomes.
- Take account of gender norms by using appropriate ‘male’ interests and language to engage men in health.
- Ensure that the needs of boys and young men are reflected in the development and delivery of health policies and services.
- Use International Men’s Health Week, observed the second week in June, and other health weeks and days as opportunities to promote men’s health.
- Take a ‘male-positive’ approach which builds on men’s strengths and is more likely to engage men and achieve changes in their health practices and the use of services.
- Men’s Health Strategies:
- Australia: National Men’s Health Strategy, 2020
- Brazil: National Policy of Comprehensive Healthcare to Men, 2009 (Portugese)
- Canada – Quebec: Health and Well-Being of Men, 2017 (French)
- England: Men’s Health: A Strategic Vision for England, 2025
- Europe: Strategy on the Health and Well-Being of Men in the WHO European Region, 2018
- Ireland: Healthy Ireland – Men, 2024
- Malaysia: National Men’s Health Plan of Action, 2018
- South Africa: National Integrated Men’s Health Strategy, 2020
SUICIDE
- Men experience suicide rates that are nearly three times higher than women:
- Men: 14.7/100,000 persons
- Women: 5.3/100,000
- Global Action on Health: Absent-Minded: The Treatment of Men in Global Mental Health Policy
- American Institute for Boys and Men: Male Suicide: Patterns and Recent Trends.
Strategies and Solutions
- Participate in World Suicide Prevention Day, observed every year on September 10.
- All-Party Parliamentary Group: Tackling Male Suicide
- Report: What Finland Did About Male Suicide
Press Releases
EXTREME WEATHER DEATHS
- Weather-related mortality in the United States:
- Men are 2-3 times more likely than women to die from extreme natural heat.
- 68% of persons who die from floods are male.
- 64% of persons who die from home fires are male.
- Males account for 79% of all deaths from lightning.
- Males are more likely to die from excessive cold.
- Global:
- Men are more likely than women to die during famine.
Strategies and Solutions
- Correct falsehoods such as this statement from a UN Women Fact Sheet: Females experience “increased morbidity and mortality due to heat waves, floods, storms, fires, and droughts” — a claim that is not supported by the extensive research conducted around the world.
Press Releases
- May 4, 2026: Historic Wave of Support for Men and Boys in Australia
- April 30, 2026: Men’s Health Programs: Proven Effective in Reducing Male Mortality
- March 5, 2026: UN Gender Health Initiatives Reveal Significant Imbalance Between Men and Women
- January 14, 2026: On a Roll: Men’s Health Gains Momentum in Canada, the UK, and the US
- November 24, 2025: UK Announces First-Ever Men’s Health Strategy: A Watershed Moment for Male Wellbeing
- October 15, 2025: Men’s Health Gains Powerful Momentum Around the World
- August 14, 2025: Take Action Now: 35 Countries Echo Global Reports of Male Disadvantage
- July 3, 2025: Prostate Cancer: Time for a New Global Initiative
- June 9, 2025: Men’s Health Gains Momentum as Groups Celebrate International Men’s Health Week
- November 18, 2024: Women’s Health and the ‘Big Lie’
- May 27, 2024: Urgent Call to WHO and Member Governments to Address Longevity Crisis Affecting Men