There are huge disparities between the health of men and women says Alan White, who wants to turn this gender bias around
Does gender make a difference when it comes to health?
Yes. There are huge disparities. Around 630,000 men die between the ages of 15 and 64 in Europe, compared with 300,000 women in the same age group. We have looked at data from across Europe and found that men die prematurely from nearly every condition that should affect men and women equally: heart disease, cancer, pneumonia, type 2 diabetes. The list goes on. The trends are the same in the US too.
Why are men so much more unhealthy than women?
There are an awful lot of reasons. Men’s lifestyle is problematic: they smoke and drink more than women, and eat less healthily. And how men respond to worsening social conditions and unemployment is a major factor. For example, they are more likely to commit suicide.
Isn’t it simply a biological fact that women live longer than men?
I think it is because people make this assumption that no one has really stood back and questioned why so many young men die. It is not inevitable. Yes, there are some physiological reasons why men are more vulnerable to certain diseases, but we have found such massive differences in the health of men compared with women across Europe, that we have to recognise that the vast majority of premature deaths in men can be prevented.
You think that we should look at men and women differently when it comes to health, but surely an illness is an illness?
When we are ill, how we respond is greatly influenced by our gender. From birth there are different socialisation processes at play that influence how boys and girls grow up. This affects risk-taking, knowledge of food and health, perceptions of weight, mental and sexual health. The way men and women use health services, the way health services treat us, working practices… all are gender-biased and have a great influence on the way we manage our health and well-being.
The higher male death rates for diseases that should affect men and women equally means that no disease should be considered gender neutral.
What can be done to turn this around?
Take mental health. We need to reach out to men in a different way. When men find things difficult they often retreat, get more irritable, smoke and drink more. They don’t see this as a sign of mental health issues. They see it as just being “male”.
We also need to set up services that men can actually use. In Europe, men are more likely to be unavailable during the times most health clinics operate. We need more initiatives like the one in the UK run by Newcastle United football club, which puts on badminton classes at midnight for taxi-drivers and restaurant workers.
Are you a good example of a healthy man?
I try to keep my weight down, and I don’t smoke or drink much, which makes a big difference. But don’t look at me for a healthy work-life balance – I am a workaholic.