Poorer men ignoring health message

Men are reluctant to seek medical advice

Health warnings are being ignored by men in the lower income brackets, according to new statistics.

The new report by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows that messages about healthier eating, better exercising and cutting out smoking tend to go unheeded by those in the lower income brackets.

The ONS found that those in the higher social classes were more likely to make appointments to see their GP about health prevention.

However, it is men in the lower social groups who end up requiring most medical help for illness, mental disorders, drug misuse, violence, injuries and poisoning.

The statistics also revealed that young men are less likely to recognise that they have a health problem than women.

Dr Ian Banks, president of the Men's Health Forum, said it was no surprise that young men are not listening to health messages.

Missing messages

We need to get our hands dirty and give them the message in the work place, the dole office or the pubs

Dr Ian Banks, president of the men's health forum

He said most young men rarely visit their GP surgery and so they miss any messages on health posted there.

And he urged GPs to go out into the community and spread their healthier life style messages.

"The challenge for us is how to get the low income men into the surgeries in the first place.

"We need to get our hands dirty and give them the message in the work place, the dole office or the pubs.

"We should not be just sticking posters about health up in the surgery, what is wrong with sticking a poster about prostate cancer above the toilet in the pub," he said.