June is National Men’s Health Month and the highlight of the month is National Men’s Health Week (June 15 – 21, 2009). The event was created as a result of Senate Joint Resolution 179 on March 25, 1994 in order to bring awareness of men’s health issues.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Center for Health Statistics the life expectancy at birth for men born in 1950 is 65.6 years as opposed to women’s 71.1 years; for those born in 1960 it is 66.6 years as opposed to women’s 73.1 years; and men born in 2005 will live 75.2 years as opposed to women’s 80.4 years (Health, United States 2008, Table 26 ).
Top 10 Leading Causes of Death for Men
| All Males, All Ages | Percent |
| Heart Disease | 27.2% |
| Cancer | 24.3% |
| Unintentional Injuries | 6.1% |
| Stroke | 5.0% |
| Chronic lower respiratory diseases | 5.0% |
| Diabetes | 3.0% |
| Influenza and pneumonia | 2,3% |
| Suicide | 2.2% |
| Kidney Disease | 1.7% |
| Alzheimer’s Disease | 1.6% |
Source: Leading Causes of Death in Males, United States, 2004
For more resources on Men’s Health and health disparities, go to our hot topics webpage for further information.
1 response so far ↓
Ollie Donovan // Nov 2nd 2009 at 1:21 pm
Thanks for the eye opener data. It is pretty shocking information about the health issues that men get. Makes me wanna do more to protect my health. Thanks again.
Leave a Comment