Areas where men die prematurely are 'concentrated' in the North

One North East area sees men die early at a rate that's the seventh worst in the country. Jarrow and Gateshead East is the region's worst affected parliamentary constituency - that's according to an updated report from charity the Movember UK. The charity, most famous for its November campaigning each year which sees people commit to sporting a moustache throughout the month to raise men's health awareness, has released the report and called for more to be done to tackle issues such from male suicide to prostate cancer. The charity has found that the areas where there are the highest rates of men dying sooner than they should are "concentrated in Northern England and / or major post-industrial urban areas". In our region, Jarrow and Gateshead East is the area with the highest "age standardised rate" of premature mortality. The area has, the charity said, 631.1 premature deaths per 100,000 - that's seventh highest in England and almost three times the rate seen in areas such as North East Hampshire or Wetherby and Easingwold. The figures are based on Office for National Statistics and Department for Health and Social Care data. Other areas of the North East picked out as having among the highest rates include: To tackle these issues, the charity has highlighted a partnership between itself, the Government and the People's Health Trust which has seen the launch of the Men's Health Community Fund. This is a £6.3m fund to "support organisations working directly with men and boys". In the report, the charity's team wrote: "Six years on from the height of the pandemic, the picture has shifted but the fundamentals haven't. Men in Blackpool South are still three times more likely to die prematurely than men in North East Hampshire. "Heart disease and cancer still claim men's lives at a stubbornly high rate, and suicide is still, slowly but consistently, moving in the wrong direction. These aren't isolated statistics — they're a pattern that tracks with geography, deprivation, and access to support." Also in the report, the charity goes into further detail around male suicide. It continues: "In 2024, there were 4,231 men who died by suicide. This equates to more than 11 men per day, or 1 death every 2 hours. "Almost 3 in every 4 deaths by suicide are men — while this is a slightly lower rate than when also incorporating Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, it is still far too high. The rate of male suicide in England has shown, on average, small annual increases of about 1.2% over the last ten years — a cumulative change of almost 11%. "In general, regions in the north have rates 20–40% higher than the national average, while rates in London have rates that are approximately 25% lower." The data for the North East is also shared - with the 2024 data putting the region as the worst affected with an age-standardised suicide rate for 23.8 per 100,000. That's 40% higher than the average and just short of double the rate seen in London. Amy O'Connor, UK Director for Policy and Advocacy at Movember, said: 'As we found in our 'More in Common' research in 2025, over half of Britons are now ready for a conversation on what it means to be a man. This, and key developments such as England's first men's health strategy, show that real progress is being made in the national conversation about men and boys. However, this progress report underlines how the scale of the challenge facing men's health in England remains, with outcomes still deeply unequal between communities. We are committed to working with the government and our partners on the men and boy's agenda, including increasing the support to local areas to improve men's health services in the areas that need them most." Movember is a calling for the Government to "build on the foundations" and make progress on goals including a promise to appoint a men's health ambassador". The charity also wants to see local authorities adopt "men's health charters" which would help to collect the needed data, ensure local men's health initiatives receive funding and tailor services to tackle the issue. The charity has also set out what it sees as key ways to improve men's health. Along with a new ambassador, the charity is calling for reforms to paternity leave and more investment in tackling "online harms" which affect boys and men. On paternity leave, the charity added: "Supporting fathers to be present from the start is not only good family policy; it is also an investment in men's health and wellbeing. Strengthening paternity leave would strengthen family relationships and enable more fathers to play an active role from the earliest stages of their child's life. "The Government should move to six weeks of statutory paternity leave at 90% pay, with two weeks taken immediately and the remaining four available to take at any point during the child's first year." On online harm, the charity added: "Online spaces are playing an increasingly important role in shaping boys' and young men's ideas about masculinity, relationships, health and success. Yet the evidence and policy response to the specific charms affecting boys and men remains fragmented." To tackle this, there should be, Movember said, "cross-Governmental" and bring a "shared understanding of gendered online harms across health, online safety, education and prevention". Our ChronicleLive Daily newsletter is free. You can sign up to receive it here. It will keep you up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from the North East. ChronicleLive has created a dedicated WhatsApp community for breaking news and our biggest stories. You can join this WhatsApp community here. 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