UK will have men’s health strategy, government announces

Streeting discussed the plans at a men’s health summit, hosted by Arsenal and the Premier League, with charity Movember.

“It can be hard to be a young man in today’s society, particularly for boys from backgrounds like mine,” he said.

“We’re seeing mental ill health on the rise and the shocking fact that suicide is the biggest killer for men under the age of 50.

“Preventable killers like heart disease and prostate cancer are being caught far too late.”

Men die nearly four years earlier than women, on average, and are disproportionally affected by a number of conditions, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to the government, external.

They are also less likely to seek help for mental-health issues.

Streeting also highlighted social-media pressures, saying men faced similar issues to women around their self-esteem and body image and he would not “shy away” from the need to focus on men’s health.

“Nothing frustrates me more than when men’s health and women’s health are somehow pitted in opposition to each other, as if by focusing on a men’s health strategy we are in any way detracting from the brilliant work that successive governments have been doing on women’s health and actually much more work we need to do,” he added.