44% of Canadian men die prematurely from largely preventable causes: Report

Article content

More than two in five — or 44% — of men living in Canada will die prematurely from largely preventable causes, according to a new report.

More specifically, the Real Face of Men’s Health Report — released by men’s health charity Movember — finds that Canadian men are disproportionately impacted by suicide and the opioid crisis.

In 2023, suicide was the fourth leading cause of premature mortality in Canadian men, with men accounting for every three in four suicides, the report said.

Further, in the first half of 2024, 72% of accidental opioid toxicity deaths and 63% of accidental opioid-related poisoning hospitalizations in Canada were among men, the report said.

“For a long time, we’ve known about the stigmas and stereotypes that impact men’s health. But now that’s all really coming to a head with the alarming rates of suicide, opioid addictions, and premature deaths among Canadian men,” said Dr. John L. Oliffe, report co-author and professor, in a statement.

“This report is unique for the full breadth of issues and dynamics it covers, including how men’s health impacts women, partners, families, communities, and the economy. We need to start paying more attention to this.”

The report also explores inequities among subgroups of men, including military personnel, sexual minority men, and Indigenous men.

“It was imperative that this report specifically examine health trends among Indigenous, First Nations and Inuit populations, and while it is not surprising, it remains disheartening to see far worse health outcomes among these populations,” said Niigaan Sinclair, co-author of the report. “As example, ​Inuit men have a life expectancy of just 68.8 years, more than 13 years less than non-Indigenous men. We need to seriously begin addressing such disparities.”

In response, Movember is calling on Ottawa to develop a “National Men’s Health Strategy” that ensures health services, systems, and policies are responsive to the unique needs of boys and men — especially those who face systemic disadvantages.

“Men’s health has been relegated to the sidelines of broader health conversations for far too long and Canada risks a true public health crisis if it does not begin to acknowledge the unique physical and mental health challenges men are experiencing,” said Michelle Terry, CEO of Movember, in a statement.

“Canada can look to the progress that Australia, Ireland and the U.K. have made with government commitments to men’s health, which fundamentally recognize that ​advocating for gender-responsive healthcare is not about prioritizing one gender over another but about addressing the unique health needs of all people.”

The report’s findings were drawn from HealthLumen’s new economic research, analysis of national mortality trends and two sets of polls commissioned by the Movember Institute of Men’s Health.

One set was a nationally representative poll of 1,502 men on their experiences with primary care and the second was new polling of 1,365 people who care for men.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Play Video