ABSTRACT
The challenges men face with their health are clear, with the data showing men are at a significantly higher risk of dying prematurely from a wide range of health issues. Though it is apparent that the overall life expectancy for men is increasing, this seems to be predominately in the professional classes, but even there they have only just reached the level that women in the same social class were at 30 years ago and so complacency should be strenuously avoided. For the manual blue collar worker and those men who have not been able to enter the labour market or have been made redundant the situation is far from satisfactory, with increased levels of morbidity and mortality leading to some areas of the country with life expectancies amongst the lowest in Europe.
