WHO Report
Documents Striking Differences In Men’s Health In The European Region
“The burden of
premature mortality is so great and has been observed for so long
that, in many countries, it is considered to be a natural and
unmodifiable phenomenon,” according to a new report from the European
region of the World Health Organization entitled “The health and
well-being of men in the WHO European Region: better health through a
gender approach (2018). Life expectancy at birth differs by almost 20
years between the western and eastern regions of Europe ranging from
62.2 to 81.3 years according to the report and this variation dispels
the fallacy that the death rates are unchangeable.
Causes of Death
The leading causes of
death in all countries of the region are noncommunicable diseases,
especially cardiovascular diseases, cancers, respiratory diseases, and
injuries. In particular, the gender differences in injury rates are
striking. Seventy percent of deaths due to injuries are in males, and
approximately the same percentage of all road traffic deaths occur
among men under 25 years of age.
Suicide is more than
three times higher among males than females in all age groups over the
age of 15 years with an almost tenfold difference between countries.
According to the
report, the health patterns among men are related to risk factors such
as alcohol consumption, tobacco, and other substance abuse and being
overweight. Tobacco, alcohol,
and drug use are all strongly determined by gender norms and roles and
socioeconomic background and are more common in men of all ages.
Other notable
observations in the report are that men make up the majority of
victims and perpetrators of interpersonal violence.
Key Goals
The WHO report
highlights three goals for the region as a whole
1. Reduce premature
mortality among men due to noncommunicable diseases and unintentional
and intentional injuries.
2. Improve the health
and well-being among men of all ages while reducing inequalities
between and within countries of the region
3. Improve gender
equality through structures and policies that advance men’s engagement
in self-care, fatherhood, unpaid care, violence prevention, and sexual
and reproductive health.
Priority Areas
Five broad
interrelated priority areas were identified as part of a comprehensive
approach to the challenge of men’s health. Each of these five areas
contains multiple specific recommended actions. We cite a single
example for each of the areas below.
·
Strengthening governance for health and well-being of men.
For example, working across sectors to eliminate gender
stereotypes
harmful for health at all levels of education.
·
Making gender equality a priority for men’s health.
For example, assessing the health impact of parental leave policies
and flexible working arrangements for men.
·
Making health systems gender responsive.
For example, strengthening the competencies of the health workforce in
addressing interactions between biology, gender, and other
determinants of health.
·
Improving health promotion.
For example, build campaigns that promote a positive image of boys and
men regardless of age, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity,
culture, and religion.
·
Building on a strong evidence base.
For example, collecting and using disaggregated data to inform
policies and programs.
To read the full
report, visit:
https://bit.ly/2NHVN0A
To read the actual
strategy for action, visit:
https://bit.ly/2pnaOvg ■
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