Men's Health Report

Around 1 in 5 men pass away before the 'traditional' retirement age of 65, with the leading causes of death including cancer, suicide and cardiovascular disease, and men often delay primary care access, with 75% of men putting off a visit to a GP, even when they show signs of illness.

In light of this, Healthwatch Barnet undertook research between September 2022 and March 2023. We created an online survey which was completed by 250 men who are based in Barnet, and we carried out qualitative interviews with a further 50 male residents.

Our findings support a number of key insights: 

• Men will claim for the most part that they are able to tale good care of their health. But income and mental health distress make this harder.
• For those with mental health issues, being too unwell to look after their health is far more prevalent. If they are living with physical (or neurological) health conditions, looking after their health is also harder than it is for those with no self-reporting health issues.
• Exercise and diet are the dominant strategies for maintaining health, both physically and mentally. As men get older, they are more engaged and perhaps have more time to attend to their physical and mental well-being.
• There is however little evidence that men engage in therapy and counselling. More concerningly, those with mental health issues do not appear to be getting any support for them.
• Pharmacists are the most trusted providers of health information. This suggests the increasing role of pharmacists in primary care is beneficial. However, all sources used are mostly trusted. GPs are still the key information provider for those with lower incomes. There may be some work to do on promoting pharmacists as providers of quality healthcare advice within areas of deprivation.
• Most men will state they are able to access services for their mental and physical health. But those with mental health issues are disproportionately less likely to feel like this. There is clearly a disconnect between those identifying as having mental health issues (perhaps not an easy thing to admit) and the services available to/ used by them.
• Worryingly, a significant proportion of men (particularly older men) were dissatisfied with their last encounter with the health service.