With men accounting for nearly 80% of suicides and living nearly six years less than women on average, new federal legislation aims to create an Office of Men’s Health
In the United States, men are often more reluctant to go to the doctor than women, but are statistically at greater risk of premature death and have shorter lifespans than women.
A new piece of legislation recently introduced in the House of Representatives is aiming to shift those stats, drawing attention to the well-being of American men, and the toll it takes on their families and the federal and state governments.
If passed, the State of Men’s Health Act would establish an Office of Men’s Health within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in charge of “conducting, supporting, coordinating and promoting programs and activities to improve the state of men’s health” in the U.S.
The bill is largely in reaction to jarring statistics about American men’s health in recent years:
- Men comprise nearly 80% of suicides despite making up just 50% of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Men make up over half of adult diabetes patients, totalling around 18.9 million men.
- There are over 3.1 million men in the U.S. living with prostate cancer, with about one in nine men being diagnosed in their lifetime.
- The lifespan gender gap has continued rising since 2016, jumping from 4.4 years to 5.9 years, with the current average age of death for men being 73.2 years versus 79.1 years for women.
“Establishing an Office of Men’s Health is needed to investigate these findings and take further action to promote awareness of men’s health needs,” Representatives Troy Carter and Greg Murphy wrote in the proposed legislation.
The new legislative push comes as women’s health has tended to dominate the conversation in recent years.
“Women have been overlooked in research and in so many ways disadvantaged by our health system for years, and we’re making a conservative effort to fix that,” Zero Prostate Cancer vice president of government relations and advocacy Ali Manson told Athletech News.
“We absolutely believe that’s something that needs to continue, but then we also need to make sure that we are taking a focused approach to helping men live the best lives they can,” she noted.
A Coordinated Effort To Support Men’s Health
Manson explained that men often take a different approach to their health care, facing stigma, discomfort and having fewer conversations about their health with one another and providers, in addition to often engaging in fewer health-seeking behaviors. This office could help change that, she argues, especially in the long term.
“When you create an Office of Men’s Health, you give someone responsibility for looking at the big picture and thinking about how best to coordinate those efforts,” she said.
“When Congress introduces that bill, it signals bipartisan interest in a long-term approach to this issue,” Manson continued. “The bill doesn’t open the Office of Men’s Health right away — it starts with a study to understand the full state of men’s health, disparities, current programs and activities, and makes recommendations. Those are kind of the initial necessary steps in order to see this (issue) really well.”
The bill outlines several initiatives for the office, including educating men, their families, and health care providers about the importance of early detection of health issues that can impact men, such as cardiovascular disease, mental health, HIV/AIDS, osteoporosis and cancer (including lung, prostate, skin, colorectal, testicular and more).
Additionally, the office would coordinate public awareness and screening programs as well as establish and maintain a database of best practices, clinical guidelines, clinical research and funding opportunities related to men’s health.
Two years after the office’s establishment — if it becomes law — the Health Secretary would be required to submit a report to Congress detailing what the office has accomplished, including findings regarding men’s health and recommendations to improve health outcomes as a result of that research.
Ideally, all of that work will help reduce mortality rates, while boosting men’s overall health and the economy and encouraging men to be healthy role models for future generations.
“It’s a real opportunity to make a meaningful difference,” Manson said.
Zero Prostate Cancer is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fundraising and boosting awareness for prostate cancer. According to Manson, they’re hoping to be one of many partners supporting this legislation and the federal government’s efforts around men’s health.
“Men’s health is so much bigger than just one disease,” she explained. “And so we are excited to have this larger conversation that really takes a holistic approach to health.”
The bill has been introduced to the House and awaits a vote. If passed, it will move on to the Senate and then the president’s desk. Notably, the bill states that no additional funding is authorized to be appropriated for the Office of Men’s Health.
