Many factors determine whether people are healthy: living conditions, income, employment, education, housing, food, sex and gender, the environment, personal choices and behaviors and, of course, the ability to access quality health services.

For generations, men seem to have had these Determinants of Health weighted in their favor. This might lead to the assumption that men also enjoy good health and longevity. However, the opposite is true: the well-being of boys and men is surprisingly poor.

Compared to their female counterparts, boys are less likely to succeed in school and more likely to be diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or a learning disability. School-age boys are also much more likely to be prescribed cerebral stimulants such as Ritalin. There is a strong upwards trend in these prescriptions. As they grow from boys into young men, males are more likely to be incarcerated, injured, hospitalized or killed through work-place incidents, suicides, diseases, unintended injuries and intentional violence. Throughout their life course, males tend to connect less frequently with health services. It may also be true that health services tend to connect less frequently with men.  

We believe that healthier men will help to build healthier families and communities in Northern BC. We have put this page together to support the discussions that may follow the recently released report Where are the Men: Chief Medical Health Officer's Report on the Health and Well-being of Men and Boys in Northern BC.