Double trouble – men and obesity

Abstract

We know that boys take more risks than girls,1 are six times more likely to have an accident, four times more likely to take their own life,2 and twice as likely not to seek medical health when they are unwell.3 Yet despite knowing men are less likely to engage in the health service, more likely to develop long-term chronic disease and more likely to die earlier than women,4 we continue to offer services for our patients in a generic way. Men often have little opportunity to engage with health care professionals until they are sick. My ambition is to de-medicalise men's health in primary care and develop more innovative, gender-specific services, to capture men's attention. If we are trying to sell something, that men don’t realise they want, we should try and think about selling it in the same way other products are sold. We need to invest in innovation and social marketing. Copyright © 2024 John Wiley & Sons.