Four in 10 men die before reaching 75, mostly by preventable means

Irish Grammy winning musician and Movember ambassador Cian Ducrot, Movember country manager Sarah Ouellette, and Movember ambassador Barry Mc Guigan launch the report which details the barriers for men accessing healthcare

Over 40% of men die before reaching 75 in Ireland, even though most of these premature deaths are preventable, a shocking report on men’s health shows.

Men are still very reluctant to talk about their health even to their GPs, the survey found.

Men are generally more likely than women to die before their time, including having 148% higher death rates from heart disease and 17% higher from cancers.

Men are also 172% more likely to die from injury or poisoning than women, and have a 58% higher death rate from digestive system illnesses. The figures show men in less well-off areas are even harder hit by ill-health. 

Men living in the most deprived areas were 150% more likely to die before 75 than men in the most well-off areas.

The report reveals that 40.2% of all male deaths were premature and men are 40% more likely to die prematurely than women, across each of the five leading causes.

The report and survey of 2,000 people, published by men's health charity Movember, is a partnership between the Men’s Health Forum in Ireland and the National Centre for Men’s Health.

The groups called for investment into the national men’s health action plan, which runs from 2024 to 2028. The teams also spoke with healthcare workers and carers.

When it comes to mental health, GPs reported on average they see 15 male patients every year with suicidal thoughts or who have attempted suicide. Most cases were linked to men aged 18-34 years or 35-54 years.

GPs said the biggest barriers to helping men with their health is the doctors' lack of time and men’s reluctance to talk about sensitive topics.

Just 29% of GPs said they had “a very good understanding” of men’s health.

The report also shows that, if all preventable health issues were addressed for men, a potential saving of €716m in healthcare and indirect costs could have been made.