The study looked at men from the United States, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Norway, New Zealand, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Sweden. Preventable deaths, chronic conditions, and mental health problems were found to be the most common among American men. All deaths under the age of 75 are classified as “avoidable.”
About 29 percent of American men reported having multiple chronic illnesses. In France and Norway, for example, this was only 17 percent. According to figures from the World Bank, the life expectancy of a man born in the Netherlands in 2020 is 80, compared to 75 in the US.
Income inequality plays a major role
A major reason for the poor outcomes for American men, according to the Commonwealth Fund, is that the US has more people on low incomes with its greater income inequality. Lower-income men are more likely to have unhealthy habits, such as drinking and smoking, leading to chronic conditions such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease. They also visit the doctor less often than men with middle and higher incomes and suffer more from stress.
The US is also an outsider among industrialized countries because not everyone has access to affordable care. That has led men to avoid the care they need because the costs are too high, researchers noted. “About 16 million American men do not have health insurance, and affordability is the most common reason people cite for not enrolling in a health plan,” they wrote.
There was also something positive to report for men in the US: They have the lowest rate of prostate cancer-related deaths of any country studied. That’s because the U.S. tests early — and extensively — for prostate cancer and offers advanced treatments for it, the study authors said.