Services Just for Men?

Men continue to have a lower life expectancy in most countries compared to women.  Explanations of this gendered health inequality tend to focus upon male risk taking, unhealthy lifestyle choices, and resistance to seeking help from health services.  In the period 2005 - 2008, the Scottish Government funded a nationwide community health promotion programme aimed at improving men’s health.  This was called Well Men Service Pilots (WMS). This paper explores WMS programme users’ perspectives and experiences of health help-seeking.  The results challenge the commonly held notion of men as being disinterested in their health.  Moreover, the respondents were largely ambivalent about the need for gender specific services.  For a copy of this paper, visit: www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/13/425