Lessons from England on creating a men’s health strategy

This article was originally published by the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys.

The Men’s Health Strategy launched in England this week is game-changing. Not just on men’s health itself, it will act as a pathfinder for other parts of Government on the basis that taking a gender-sensitive lens is both sensible and logical. Importantly, it also creates opportunities for other countries to follow suit too.

The Men’s Health Strategy is a genuine strategy with a vision (aim) and clear accountability. It is not a plan described as a strategy. It is evidence-based and acknowledges where more evidence is needed. Importantly it describes how to fill those gaps.

Crucially, it has a male-positive lens (not a deficit model as many of us feared) and has a focus on societal change, health system change and empowering men to take charge of their health. My view is that we need to fix the first two quickly as there will be no point empowering men if they still hit a societal and systemic brick wall.

The strategy aims to work with the men’s academic and delivery organizations through formal stakeholder groups which will then ensure momentum is maintained.

It also requires the health system to deliver at all levels — nationally (including health teaching) and locally. The health system in the UK is “nationalized” with the National Health Service providing health care at all levels, and local councils ( the equivalent of states and counties) providing public health. The other three UK nations (Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales), which are similarly structured, should follow suit too.

Lastly, it cements men’s health as a distinct, official and vital area of public policy, professional practice and public health. This is not just a prize in and of itself; it brings wider, precedent-making benefits into all areas of public policy and research. That is, it is now far easier to argue for “distinct and official” policy and research streams in boys’ education, mentoring, skills training, employability, crime and so much more. The permission space on men and boys’ policy and research has been broadened significantly in the UK, way beyond health.

So what does the strategy say how did the strategy come about and how can it be replicated elsewhere?

Strategy and targets

At a high level, the health strategy’s vision (in effect, its aim) “to improve the health of all men and boys in England by shining a spotlight on men’s health, tackling preventable causes of ill-health common among men and taking targeted action to improve health outcomes.”

The strategy to deliver this is focused on

•  ensuring health services are engaging men and boys and responsive to their needs;
•  enabling structures which empower men and boys to maximize their own health and wellbeing;
• creating the conditions in which men and boys’ health and wellbeing can thrive.

Underpinning this are six key levers that it seeks to address; individual behavior; healthy living and working conditions; strong social, community and family networks; societal norms and health challenges and conditions:

There are no SMART targets (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) — a missing area and a key recommendation of the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys (CPRMB).

Key stakeholders will nonetheless develop “what success looks like” measures to drive accountability. These will include reduced suicide rates; mortality rates from key cancers; and cardiovascular disease. CPRMB also argued for concerted action to increase the number of men working in the health workforce. Another key success measure in our opinion.

Key elements to creating a men’s health strategy

(1) Evidence and research

Making the case requires collating the evidence on the state of men’s health in any country, state or county. The data is available but can be spread across different databases. Bringing it together is crucial to creating an overall picture. Beyond solely health conditions, it must include access data and employment sickness rates as well as intersectional information relating to race, place and age, for example. Research with men on what barriers they face is crucial too.

(2) Make the broader impact central

Poor men’s health impacts others too, not just family and community. It impacts public spending, employers and economic growth. Crime too.

A key impetus in England for improving men’s health is the recognition that it is vital to economic growth. This also helps when attempting to put pressure on employers to be key partners. When creating and/or campaigning for a men’s health strategy, it is important to firmly link it to wider policy areas beyond health itself.

In addition, as AIBM’s President, Richard Reeves has said, “A world of floundering men is not likely to be a world of flourishing women.” This is especially pertinent when it comes to health. It is vital that a men’s health strategy is positioned in this way. If there is not a women’s health strategy (there has been one in England since 2022), then creating both strategies at the same time should be an aim (it avoids criticism of one being more important than the other).

(3) Clarity of purpose, accountability and momentum — avoid policy dust

Too many policies gather dust because of the lack of the above.

This is why having a vision with three strategic points and delivery pillars is vital so that everyone is clear on purpose. Accountability not only means everyone is involved, but also that health systems and wider society share responsibility for success. These, as well as having key stakeholders who have “skin in the game” is vital too. The need for clearly evidenced measures support this approach.

Crucially, the UK government has named a minister in the health department as being responsible for men’s health. This is a first. A senior official has also been given specific responsibility for delivery.

(4) Don’t reinvent the wheel

The key element of England’s men’s health strategy is that lessons were learned from other men’s health strategies (especially Ireland and Australia). It was also built around academic research and the wisdom of the vibrant and growing men’s health sector in the UK. The government also conducted a “call for evidence” and had actively acquired reports from key organizations beforehand.

The message is, do not start from scratch. If other countries have done the heavy intellectual and practical lifting, then it is a matter of using theirs and making it relevant to your country, culture and health structures. Literally a tweaked “find and replace.”

The Men’s Health Strategy in England is a vital step forward in improving men’s health in the UK. It is not the policy endgame. It is merely a starting place. But, if England and other countries can create men’s health strategies, the question for other countries should increasingly be asked “why not here?”.

Mark Brooks

Mark Brooks is the director of policy and communications at the Centre for Policy Research on Men and Boys. He is a leading adviser on public policy, communications and services related to men and boys. He holds an OBE and an honorary doctorate for his contributions to the field.