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'New Generation of Men at Risk'

Posted on: Monday, 27 June 2005, 12:00 CDT

Men in Wales today may be enjoying longer lives, but the sad fact remains that their lifestyles are still taking a toll on their long- term health. The gap between men's and women's life expectancy may be narrowing in the 21st century, but a quick glance at the lifestyle statistics would suggest that many of the most common illnesses to beset men, are, to some degree, self-inflicted.

Perhaps the most startling fact about men today is the fact that more than half of men living in Wales are overweight or obese - a damning statistic which contributes to the many cases of heart disease and some cancers.

If the level of over-eating and lack of exercise continues unchecked among men in Wales, experts predict that within just five short years, three-quarters of Wales' 1.4 million men will be overweight or obese.

If that is to happen, we can expect to see levels of heart disease, and deaths, again start to creep up to the levels seen in the 1960s and 1970s when too many men were dying prematurely.

Add to that the fact that a third of men in Wales are smokers and more than one in four drink more than the government 'safe' limits, and the impact on health is even greater.

It is perhaps, no surprise, that men in Merthyr Tydfil have the lowest life expectancy rates in Wales, or that those living in Ceredigion can expect to live the longest. It is here, in the deprived cradle of the Industrial Revolution in Wales, that the effects of smoking, poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle are felt the most.

Many health campaigns to exclusively target men in recent years have concentrated on raising awareness about testicular and prostate cancer.

But lung cancer remains the number one cancer killer of men - and women - claiming a massive 1,180 lives a year. A significant number of those cases will have been caused by smoking.

Looking at the root causes of men's ill health in Wales, it would be sensible to suggest that more needs to be done to raise awareness among men of the impact their lifestyles will have on them.

It has often been said that men are their own worst enemies when it comes to taking charge of their health. If we are to really close the gap between men and women, we must intervene now and devise men- only strategies to tackle the unholy trinity of weight, smoking and drinking, before we lose another generation of men prematurely.: FROM PAGE 16: YOUR HEALTH IN NUMBERS:Welcome to Men's Week. Over the coming six days, we will be looking at all aspects of the modern man's life, from health to families to hobbies. Here Health Editor Madeleine Brindley runs over the statistics, and below right, assesses what it all means

1.404 million - the number of men living in Wales

75.5 the age which men in Wales can expect to live to

78.5 the age at which men in Ceredigion can expect to live to, the highest in Wales

73.4 the age at which men in Merthyr Tydfil can expect to live to, the lowest in Wales

845 out of every 100,000 men in Wales will die every year

24 men out of every 100,000 aged 25 to 44 will commit suicide every year

40% of men who die every year will die as a result of circulatory diseases

12.3% of male deaths in Wales every year will be caused by respiratory diseases

50 neo-natal boys died in Wales in 2002

134 men died from parasitic or infectious disease in Wales in 2002

689 Welsh men died of pneumonia in 2002

26 Welsh men died as a result of asthma in 2002

49.5 men in every 100,000 in Wales died following a heart attack in 2002

9% of Welsh men are being treated for asthma

13% of Welsh boys are receiving treatment for asthma

3% of Welsh men are being treated for bronchitis

26,860 men were admitted to Welsh hospitals because they are suffering from respiratory diseases in 2001.

1 in five men are treated for heart disease in Wales in their lifetime

5 men in every 1,000 suffered a psychotic illness in 2000

7,739 men were diagnosed with cancer in Wales in 2001

27.5% of male deaths in Wales every year are caused by cancer

3.7% of Welsh men will be treated for cancer in their lifetime

1% of all breast cancers occur in men

1,350 men will be diagnosed with lung cancer in Wales every year - the most common form of cancer for men

1,180 men die from lung cancer every year in Wales

1,320 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in Wales every year, the second most common form of cancer to affect men

520 men will die from prostate cancer in Wales every year

80 men in Wales are diagnosed with testicular cancer in Wales every year

10 Welsh men die from testicular cancer every year

33.5% of men in Wales smoke

27.4% of Welsh men drink more than the recommended amount of alcohol every week

53.2% of Welsh men are overweight or obese

75% the proportion of the UK male population who will be overweight or obese by 2010

70% of men consider themselves to be overweight

1 in three - the proportion of men who would be motivated to lose weight if being overweight affected their sex life

87% the percentage of overweight men who would not go to a slimming club to lose weight

40 inches - or 102cms - the size of a man's waist at which the risk of becoming seriously ill increases dramatically

1 in three - the number of men who have a waist measurement of more than 40 inches

2,550 the average daily calorie requirement for a man aged 19 to 59-years-old

3.8cms - the amount men's waist measurements increased between 1994 and 2003

34.9% of Welsh men exercise regularly

30% of 15-year-old boys in Wales do an hour or more of physical activity on most days of the week

39.2% of Welsh men eat fruit on most days of the week

26.9% of Welsh men eat vegetables and salad on most days of the week

42.3% of 15 and 16-year-old boys in Wales have admitted they have used illegal drugs - 23% in the last month

41% the percentage of men in Wales who are caring for a relative or loved one who is ill

1.8% of men in Wales experience food poisoning while abroad

71% of men have 20 or more of their own teeth

12% of men went to see their GP in the last 14 days

6.8 the average number of times a man in Wales will go to see their GP every year

80% the percentage of men who receive a prescription after visiting a GP in Wales

47% of men see their dentist for a check-up every year

43% of all hospital admissions are for men in Wales

14% of 18 to 24-year- old men say they are not interested in sex

10% of 18 to 24-year-old men say that sex is not pleasurable

17% the percentage of men who worry about their sexual performance

1 in two men over the age of 50 suffer from erectile dysfunction

4% of men have 'significantly' abnormal sperm

1 in five men in the UK has had a vasectomy

21 out of every 100,000 men in Wales have been diagnosed with gonorrhoea

394 the number of new cases of gonorrhoea diagnosed in men in 2003

83 out of every 100,000 men in Wales have been diagnosed with chlamydia

1,272 the number of new cases of chlamydia diagnosed in men in 2003

124 out of every 100,000 men in Wales has been diagnosed with genital warts

1,691 the number of men suffering their first attack of genital warts in 2003

719 the men of HIV- positive men in Wales

463 the number of men in Wales who became HIV- positive after having sex with another man

139 the number of men in Wales who became HIV- positive after having sex with a woman

30 the number of men who Wales who became HIV-positive after injecting drugs

55 the number of men in Wales who became HIV-positive after receiving an infected blood or tissue transfusion

Source: Western Mail

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