Men in Ireland are dying too young from causes that are largely preventable, a new report has found.
On Tuesday, Movember, a charity for men’s health, published new research examining premature deaths, barriers to care, impact on caregivers and economic cost.
It found that two in five men die prematurely – meaning before the age of 75 – and the vast majority of these deaths are preventable.
Men are 40 per cent more likely than women to die prematurely, and premature death is higher for men across each of the five leading causes in Ireland, the report found.
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The five leading causes of premature deaths among men in 2022 were cancers, circulatory diseases, external causes of injury and poisoning, respiratory diseases and digestive diseases.
The difference in prevalence between men and women was quite stark in some of these causes of death, including external injury and poisoning (172 per cent higher in men than women) and circulatory diseases (148 per cent higher).
Men living in the most deprived areas in Ireland were 150 per cent more likely to die before the age of 75 than those living in the least deprived areas, according to the report.
The report examined 2022 CSO data, as well as conducting a survey of 2,000 adults in a nationally representative sample and 1,000 caregivers and clinicians.
The report also examined mental health of men, which it described as a “critical concern”.
Men account for four in every five suicides, and 97 per cent of GPs had encountered men presenting with suicide or suicidal ideation in the past year.
On average, GPs reported seeing 15 male patients per year presenting with suicidal behaviour, with most cases in the 18-34-year-old and 35-54 age groups.
The report also highlighted the effect poor ill-health among men has on their family and carers.
Six in 10 carers of men – the majority women – reported a decline in their own mental health, while 65 per cent experienced frequent worry and anxiety because of caring responsibilities, the report found.
Dr Noel Richardson, lead author of the report, and director of National Centre for Men’s Health at South-East Technological University, said the report should be a “catalyst for positive change in men’s lives by appealing to men to protect their most valuable asset – their health”.
Sarah Ouellette, Movember country manager, said too many men were “living with poor health”.
“There is also growing apprehension for the wellbeing of younger men with over half of Irish adults believing young men are growing increasingly disconnected from society and face greater difficulty in finding their place and purpose,” she said.
“We can see from the report, the huge unease around men’s mental health, with two in five believing that men’s mental health is getting worse while latest available figures show that four in five suicides are male, while, worryingly, suicide remains the leading cause of death among young men aged 15-29.”
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Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said “significant progress had been made” towards improving men’s health over the past 15 years.
“Ireland is a world leader in men’s health, and we were the first country to adopt a National Men’s Health Policy in 2009,” she said.
The charity has called on the Government to “commit” to the men’s health action plan and invest an initial €10 million to progress it.
