June 05, 2025
3 min read
Key takeaways:
- Data show men were less likely to seek care for diabetes, HIV/AIDS and hypertension.
- More research is needed to track gender-related health risks and how they change over time, a researcher told Healio.
June is Men’s Health Awareness Month, which aims to encourage men to engage in healthy habits and improve their wellness.
There are several troubling disease prevalences and gender disparities among American men. CDC data show that 41.6% and 51.9% of men aged 20 years or older had obesity or hypertension in 2020, respectively, while men had a life expectancy over 5 years shorter vs. women in 2022.
Trends like these were captured in a recent study published in PLoS Medicine, where researchers assessed sex differences in the “health pathway” — including exposure to a condition, development of the condition, diagnosis, treatment and death — of diabetes, hypertension and HIV/AIDS across 204 countries.
They found that men were more likely than women to get sick and die of these chronic conditions and were less likely to seek out care and adhere to treatment for the conditions in most countries.
Alessandro Feraldi, PhD, lead study author and researcher from the department of methods and model for economics, territory and finance at Sapienza University of Rome in Italy, spoke with Healio to discuss the underlying causes behind the findings, how doctors can address shortcomings in men’s health and more.
Healio: Why are men less likely to seek help for these conditions? Are there any biological factors, stigmas or treatment barriers influencing this finding?
Feraldi: Men are less likely to seek help for conditions like hypertension, diabetes and HIV/AIDS mainly due to social and structural factors. Traditional masculine norms discourage help-seeking by framing vulnerability as weakness. Men also engage less with routine health care, often delaying care until symptoms are severe. Health systems often prioritize maternal and child health, offering fewer services tailored to men. While biology plays a role in disease risk, stigma and systemic barriers are the primary reasons for men’s lower health care use.
Healio: Are there any other significant issues in men’s health that need more awareness and improvement?
Feraldi: Beyond underdiagnosis and undertreatment of chronic conditions, several other important men’s health issues need more attention. Men have higher rates of substance use and are less likely to seek help for mental health, depression and anxiety. Men also face greater risks from certain jobs, which can lead to more injuries and exposure to harmful substances. Sexual health is another area, with higher rates of some infections like HIV, but lower testing and treatment uptake. Additionally, men are more likely to engage in risky health behaviors such as smoking, alcohol use and poor diet, which contribute to higher rates of illness and death.
Healio: Where does research on sex differences for not only these conditions but others go from here?
Feraldi: Future research should focus on collecting standardized, sex-disaggregated data across all stages of care and for all major health conditions. It must also include gender-diverse populations, such as transgender and nonbinary individuals, who are often missing from current data. Studies should take an intersectional approach, combining sex with factors like socioeconomic status, race, geography and education to better understand overlapping vulnerabilities. Longitudinal research is needed to track how gender-related exposures and behaviors change over time and affect long-term health outcomes.
Healio: Anything else to add about your findings or gender inequities?
Feraldi: In addition to more disaggregated data, there is a need for inclusive data collection tools and harmonized reporting guidelines. This would enable more robust secondary analyses, including cross-country comparisons and in-depth exploration of subpopulations. Achieving this requires leadership from large international organizations or consortia, such as WHO or Global Burden of Disease, to ensure global alignment and coordination.
References:
For more information:
Alessandro Feraldi, PhD, can be reached at primarycare@healio.com.
