Men are more likely to have heart disease and cancer. Around twice as many men die of skin cancer than women. In people under 65, cigarette smoking causes around 40 per cent of deaths in men, compared to 20 per cent of deaths in women. Men are more likely to die or be seriously injured as a result of road accidents, falls, drownings, accidents at work, or violence. They are more likely to die of alcohol abuse.
Men are three times more likely to commit suicide than women.
One is that men typically take more risks than women. They're more likely to work in hazardous occupations, for instance - which helps explain why 93 per cent of deaths at work happen to men. But too often, men take unnecessary risks - on the roads, for example, which cause harm to themselves and others. Another reason is that men generally don't care for their health as much as women do. They're more likely to smoke or to drink too much alcohol, and eat a poorer diet - compared to women, men eat less fruit and more fat, for instance.