A report featuring Penn Nursing researchers released on Oct. 8 revealed that men in the United States are dying younger and more frequently when compared to American women and many other high income countries.
In partnership with the Movember Institute of Men’s Health, the report was co-authored by population health and health equity professor Derek Griffith and research project director at the Program for Men’s Health Equity Emily Jaeger, alongside a number of other experts. Titled “The Real Face Of Men’s Health,” it combines original analysis of national health data with new survey data on men’s perceptions on physical and mental health.
The report highlighted that 53% of male deaths are premature, meaning that men are disproportionately dying before the age of 75 — sooner than the threshold for people living in high‑income nations in the absence of major health risks.
Heart disease and cancer are the two leading causes of premature male deaths in the United States, with “accidents, unintentional injuries, and drug overdoses” and suicide being third and fourth.
“Before age 75, men die 161% more often from accidents, unintentional injuries, and drug overdoses than women; 119% more often from heart disease; and 19% more often from cancer,” the report wrote.
The report notes the “deeply rooted” connection between masculinity and poor men’s health. Beyond traditional masculine views on not asking for help, the report revealed that increasing rates of loneliness are detrimental to men’s physical and mental health.
“Social connection is essential to health and well being, but men are increasingly disconnected,” the report reads. “Men’s social networks are often thinner and less emotionally engaged [than women], leaving them with no comfortable place to turn to when life gets hard.”
According to the report, a 2023-24 Gallup global survey revealed that young American men are “a distinct outlier” when it comes to loneliness, with 25% of men in the United States aged 15 to 34 saying they felt lonely “a lot” of the previous day, far above the rate among young women of 18%. This gap was larger than all other nations who were surveyed.
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“A lot of men’s health, that we don’t tend to fully appreciate, is that the experiences of men and men's poor health tends to really affect their caregivers, loved ones, and family members,” Griffith said. “We wanted to really make sure that we had data on that, because there's not really a good source for it.”
Interviewing over 6,000 men and caregivers, the report is the “most comprehensive” study of its kind, according to Movember research fellow Peter Fisher.
“Men’s Health is not just about men,” Fisher said. “When men thrive, families and communities thrive too.”
The report suggests different structural and cultural changes that can be made by men, governments, employees, the healthcare system, and universities in order to improve men's physical and mental health.
“It’s really building systems of care that meet men where they are,” Fisher added. “We have some things that men can do: prioritizing checkups, really leaning into nurturing friendships; friendships where you can build that social connection that can be a buffer to health and reduce those concerns around loneliness.”
Both Griffith and Fisher had “a call to action” for students and academics at Penn.
Griffith said that for students “within Pennsylvania and Philadelphia,” they should “[call] on elected officials to try to look at what's been done in other states, and take examples of what those things are, and try to bring those to the state as well as to the city.”
“Students can call for classes on men's health, particularly in the health sciences and social sciences,” Griffith added. “I don't know if there are actually any [classes] on men’s health.”
Fisher also said that it is imperative for researchers to “strengthen the evidence base for men’s health.”
“This is high-level stuff, so understanding the psychological drivers, the structural factors, the social determinants of men’s health and publishing it in academic journals [or] writing op-eds helps elevate its profile,” Fisher added.
CAMPUS RESOURCES
- The Division of Public Safety’s HELP line (available 24/7): 215-898-HELP/215-898-4357
- Student Health and Counseling (if you have a personal or academic concern and want to talk to someone at Penn): 215-746-WELL/215-746-9355
- The University Chaplain’s Office: 215-898-8456
- Student Intervention Services (if you aren’t sure where to go or you’re concerned about a friend): vpul-sisteam@pobox.upenn.edu and/or 215-746-1203
