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Being a man can be detrimental to health. On average, men in the UK can expect to live 4 years less than women.

The government’s intention to develop a first-ever men’s health strategy for England this year is intended to narrow this longevity gap.

“We need to stop treating men’s poorer health outcomes as inevitable or self-inflicted,” said Paul Galdas, professor of men’s health at the University of York, York, England. “The men’s health strategy is a turning point and a long overdue step. The UK has lacked a coherent national approach to men’s health — and it shows,” he told Medscape News UK.

An ongoing 12-week consultation is calling on health professionals, academics, and members of the public to share their ideas on how to improve men’s health.

Why Do Men Die Younger?

Life expectancy at birth in the UK in 2021-2023 was 78.8 years for men and 82.8 years for women, according to the Office for National Statistics.

There’s no single or simple reason why men die at a younger age. It’s down to a combination of biologic, behavioural, and social factors.

Men are more likely than women to die early from cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, liver disease, and accidents.

Men also account for three out of four deaths by suicide.

“Women have a lower mortality rate for cardiovascular disease and certain cancers compared to men, partly due to the protective effects of oestrogen and a stronger immune system,” according to Roger Kirby, former president of the Royal Society of Medicine and a prominent writer on men’s health.

“Women are screened for the most common forms of cancer — breast and cervix — as well as colon cancer, but men are only screened for colonic tumours,” he told Medscape News UK.

A Matter of Prevention

Research also suggests that men tend to pursue less healthy lifestyles than women.

“Men are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and use drugs,” said Amy O’Connor, lead of Policy and Advocacy at men's health charity Movember. “Men are more likely to be classed as overweight or obese compared to women and die from substance abuse, self-harm, or violence.”

The gap in life expectancy is largely driven by preventable causes, according to Galdas. “Men are more likely to die prematurely from non-communicable diseases — heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory conditions — which are all strongly linked to modifiable risk factors like smoking, poor diet, alcohol use, and physical inactivity.”

However, behaviour only tells part of the story, “Masculine gender norms that discourage vulnerability, emotional expression, and help-seeking are shaped by wider social and structural forces such as how boys are raised, how workplaces reward performance over wellbeing, how healthcare is delivered,” he said.

Also, healthcare systems often fail to engage men, “especially those facing additional barriers like poverty, discrimination, or isolation.” These are not just behavioural patterns; they’re embedded in culture, policy, and systems. “Tackling them means addressing the structural roots of inequality, not just blaming men for the outcomes,” Galdas added.

This inequality can be seen across regions. In England, for example, life expectancy at birth for men ranged from 77.36 years in the Northeast to 80.32 years in the Southeast. Similar variations exist in Scotland, where life expectancy at birth is generally lower than the England average.

Improving Access and Engagement

Many men struggle to seek help for health conditions when needed. “Also, when men seek help, they aren’t always getting help that’s tailored to them,” according to O’Connor. “We are calling for clinical training of healthcare professionals to understand how to respond when men come into clinical settings,” she told Medscape News UK. “If a man has a bad experience within the healthcare service, he is much less likely to go back, especially considering the barriers he may have had to overcome to seek help in the first place.”

She added: “We know there are men who are going into clinics who don’t know their health risks or symptoms. How a man might communicate is really nuanced — he might be angry, or he might be silent. We are also advocating for more access to men’s health checks and screening and early diagnosis programmes, as we know not enough men are taking advantage of their NHS health checks.”

Some countries — for example Ireland and Australia — already have dedicated men’s health strategies.

Reaching Men Where They Are

Men’s health advocates are calling for campaigns that are directly targeted at men that talk the language of men. They want to see health services and systems that actively engage men in the spaces they already occupy, such as sports clubs, workplaces, and online platforms.

Movember invests in community and sports programmes like, Ahead of the Game, which works with rugby league clubs to engage young men in talking about their mental health. “It could be that investment in gaming may be an opportunity to reach our young men who are spending time in that space,” O’Connor suggested.

Changing the Narrative

“We need to challenge and reshape the norms around what it means to be a man,” said Galdas. “That includes promoting healthier, more flexible models of masculinity — ones that embrace self-care, openness, and asking for support.” Promoting healthy behaviours “should be seen as a strength, not a weakness.”

He added, “Men’s health has often been described as a silent crisis, and the data shows there is very good reason for that. Improving men’s health doesn’t take anything away from women’s health — it strengthens it. Gender-responsive approaches that support men lead to better outcomes not just for them, but for their families, communities, and workplaces.”

The Department of Health and Social Care is inviting anyone in England, including academics and health and social care professionals, to take part in its consultation, which runs until 17 July. The evidence gathered will inform a men’s health strategy for England, anticipated by the end of 2025.

Siobhan Harris is an experienced health, medical, and news journalist. She works in broadcast media and online.