Men in parts of Cornwall are twice as likely to die early than elsewhere in England, a damning new report has revealed. Men’s health charity Movember has found that men in the parliamentary constituency of Camborne and Redruth die before the age of 75 at the rate of 465 out of every 100,000 men a year.
That’s the highest rate of any constituency in Cornwall. St Ives had the county’s next highest premature mortality rate at 419 per 100,000 men.
By contrast, men in the North East Hampshire constituency die prematurely at the rate of 223 men per 100,000. Men living in the most deprived areas of the country are 81 per cent more likely to die young than those in the most affluent, according to Movember’s report.
Read Next: Mum who passed away 'unexpectedly' among death notices this week
Read Next: Cornish legend passes away at 37 and nobody can believe it
Nationally, two out of every five men are dying before the age of 75 from preventable causes, with 133,000 men a year dying too soon. The report also found the health of men in the UK is worse than in many other wealthy countries.
A boy born in the UK in 2021 can expect to live to 78.7 – four years less than a girl, more than three years less than boys in Switzerland, 2.6 years less than boys in Australia and 1.3 years less than boys in Ireland, it said.
Get the best stories and latest news delivered to your inbox every day. Choose what you want here.
There are also large variations within our country, as our interactive map shows ( and see below for all Cornwall areas' figures ).
The parliamentary constituency of Glasgow North East has the highest premature death rates for men anywhere in Great Britain. The equivalent of 1,012 men out of every 100,000 die early in the area every year. Men in the area are almost twice as likely to die before the age of 75 than women.
Glasgow East has the next highest premature mortality rate at 967 per 100,000, followed by Glasgow South West (943 per 100.000), Glasgow Central (927 per 100,000), Birmingham, Ladywood (896), Glasgow North West (864), Leeds Central (834), and Blackpool South (827).
Cornwall's male early death rates
Constituency: Male early mortality rate (per 100,000)
Camborne and Redruth: 465.4
St Ives: 419.2
St Austell and Newquay: 397.9
North Cornwall: 387.7
South East Cornwall: 374.5
Truro and Falmouth: 347.3
Overall, men living in the 10 constituencies with the highest premature death rates are almost 3.5 times more likely to die early than men living in the 10 constituencies with the lowest rates. North East Hampshire has the lowest rates of premature death in Great Britain. Men die under the age of 75 there at a rate of 223 per 100,000 people. That’s 4.5 times lower than in Glasgow North East.
Twickenham has the country’s next lowest rate at 245 per 100,000 men. That’s followed by Beckenham ( 248 per 100,000), South West Devon (253 per 100,000), and Sheffield, Hallam (260 per 100,000).
Michelle Terry, chief executive of Movember, said: “The report findings should serve as a wake-up call to the unacceptable state of men’s health across the UK. For too long, men’s health has been relegated to the sidelines of broader health conversations. Men’s health doesn’t exist in a vacuum.
“If we want these tragic numbers to decrease, and better support the men in our lives, real change is needed urgently. We need to invest in education, health system reform to meet the unique needs of all genders and have a dedicated men’s health strategy if we truly want to make progress.”
The charity argued the leading causes of death, such as lung cancer and heart disease, could be prevented by cutting out smoking, reducing alcohol intake, eating well and attending health screening and appointments.
Furthermore, in England and Wales, suicide is the leading cause of death among men aged 20 to 34, and the suicide rate generally is three times higher for men than women.
Supporting the campaign, Alastair Campbell, former Downing Street director of communications, co-host of The Rest is Politics and mental health campaigner, said: “For too long, this country has been going backwards on policies that directly support men’s health.
“In mental health specifically, although there has been real progress in attitudes and awareness, the services and policies to tackle depression and anxiety have been going in the opposite direction.
“The new Labour government has a bright opportunity to be bold and change the face of men’s health – and this starts with a men’s health strategy.”
Join CornwallLive's WhatsApp community for top stories and breaking news sent directly to your phone
CornwallLive is now on WhatsApp and we want you to join us. Once you sign up for our updates, we'll send the latest breaking news and biggest stories of the day straight to your phone.
To join our community, you need to already have WhatsApp. All you need to do is click this link and select 'Join Community'.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the CornwallLive team.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'Exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: “It is the mission of this Government to get the NHS back on its feet so it is there for everyone.
“We know men can be reluctant to engage with health and other support services.
“Asking for help is not a sign of weakness and we encourage anyone to speak to their GP if they have concerns about their mental or physical health.
“Prevention is better than cure so this Government will also shift the focus of healthcare from simply treating sickness to supporting people to live longer, healthier lives.”
