Movember: Men do ask for help. Are we listening?

Movember is underway. The moustaches are appearing, and so is the familiar narrative: men don't talk, men don't visit the doctor, and men suffer in silence until it's too late.

There is some truth in that story. But the evidence paints a more complicated picture, and one that deserves greater attention.

Many men do seek help. The question is whether the support available is accessible, appropriate and effective when they do.

Men's Health in the UK: Life Expectancy, Inequality and Suicide Rates

In November 2025, England published its first Men's Health Strategy. The figures were striking.

Men in England live, on average, nearly four years fewer than women and spend more than a fifth of their lives in poor health. Healthy life expectancy for men sits at approximately 61.5 years, having fallen by around a year and a half over the previous decade. In 2024, 36% of men died before reaching their 75th birthday (Department of Health and Social Care [DHSC], 2025).

But national averages conceal even greater inequalities.

Men living in England's most deprived areas can expect to die more than ten years earlier and experience nearly 19 fewer years of good health than those living in the least deprived areas (DHSC, 2025).

These disparities cannot be explained by motivation or lifestyle choices alone. Employment conditions, financial security, housing, education and access to healthcare all influence health outcomes.

The picture becomes more concerning when we consider suicide.

The latest Office for National Statistics figures recorded 6,162 suicide deaths registered in England and Wales in 2025. The age-standardised suicide rate among males was 17.5 per 100,000, compared with 5.5 among females. Men aged 50 to 54 had the highest male age-specific rate, at 28.0 per 100,000 (ONS, 2026).

These figures reinforce the urgency of improving men's health. But they also raise an important question: are we focusing enough on what prevents men from receiving the support they need?

Men's Mental Health: Why Seeking Help Isn't the Only Barrier

One finding challenges the assumption that men rarely seek support for their mental health.

The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey, cited in England's Men's Health Strategy, found that men and women experiencing common mental health problems were similarly likely to be accessing treatment, including psychological therapies. This suggests that the treatment gap observed in earlier surveys may have narrowed considerably (DHSC, 2025).

But the picture changes when we look more closely.

Among people reporting self-harm, 26.7% of men had received help compared with 42.6% of women. Men were also less likely to have received psychological support following self-harm (DHSC, 2025).

Progress in one area does not necessarily translate into equal access across the healthcare system.

Another study challenges the assumption that men experiencing serious psychological distress are entirely absent from healthcare settings.

A national case series examining middle-aged men who died by suicide in 2017 across England, Scotland and Wales found that, among 242 men with available data, 43% had consulted a GP within the preceding three months. Those who had recently attended were more likely to have experienced self-harm and work-related problems than those who had not (Mughal et al., 2023).

The study was descriptive, based on a sub-sample, and cannot establish whether these deaths could have been prevented.

However, it raises an important question about how existing contact with healthcare services can be used to recognise distress, explore wider pressures and connect men with appropriate support.

The challenge is not simply encouraging men to speak. It is also ensuring that when they do, there are effective routes to help.

How to Improve Men's Health Through Behaviour Change and Engagement

Some of the most compelling evidence comes from programmes designed around men's existing interests and social environments.

Football Fans in Training recruited 748 men aged 35 to 65 through 13 Scottish professional football clubs.

At 12 months, men allocated to the programme had lost an average of 4.94 kg more than those in the comparison group, equivalent to approximately 4.36% of their baseline body weight (Hunt et al., 2014).

Longer-term follow-up also demonstrated sustained benefits. Three and a half years after starting, men in the original intervention group who attended follow-up had maintained an average weight loss of 2.90 kg, with 32.2% weighing at least 5% less than at baseline (Gray et al., 2018).

Not everyone participated in the long-term follow-up, so these findings should be interpreted with that limitation in mind.

The health advice itself was familiar: improve physical activity, make better nutritional choices and introduce sustainable behavioural changes.

What differed was the environment.

Football provided a familiar setting, shared interests, social connection and a sense of belonging.

England's Men's Health Strategy highlights a similar pattern in digital healthcare. Men accounted for 44.6% of participants in the NHS Digital Weight Management Programme, a considerably higher proportion than that reported for one commercial weight-management programme (DHSC, 2025).

These findings suggest that engagement is not simply a question of personal motivation.

The design, accessibility and relevance of health interventions matter.

Male Loneliness and Social Isolation: The Impact on Men's Health

The Men's Health Strategy reports that 6% of men in England describe themselves as often or always lonely.

It also highlights that men are more likely than women to perceive stigma around loneliness and to view it as something within their personal control, potentially making it more difficult to acknowledge or discuss (DHSC, 2025).

Loneliness and social isolation are associated with poorer mental and physical health outcomes. The strategy also recognises their relevance to suicide risk, particularly during significant life transitions such as retirement and bereavement.

Consider the man in his fifties managing increasing responsibilities at work, ageing parents, financial commitments and changing family dynamics.

His social network may have gradually narrowed, while opportunities for meaningful connection have become increasingly limited.

He may be exercising, eating well and attending routine health checks, yet still lack the relationships that provide emotional support during difficult periods.

Social connection deserves a place in preventative health conversations alongside physical activity, nutrition, sleep and cardiovascular risk.

It does not replace clinical care, but overlooking it means overlooking an important dimension of men's health.

Men's Mental Health at Work: Stress, Support and Workplace Wellbeing

For working men, barriers to seeking help are not always psychological.

Long hours, financial pressures, unpredictable schedules and concerns about appearing less capable can all make it harder to prioritise health.

England's Men's Health Strategy recognises that healthier behaviours do not happen in isolation. Working conditions, access to healthcare and the environments people experience every day can influence health outcomes (DHSC, 2025).

For employers, that means looking beyond awareness campaigns.

Can employees attend medical appointments without unnecessary difficulty? Is mental health support accessible and confidential? Are managers equipped to recognise changes in behaviour and respond appropriately?

For founders and business leaders, the same questions deserve attention.

High levels of responsibility do not remove the physiological need for adequate sleep, recovery, social connection or preventative healthcare.

Nor should professional success be mistaken for an absence of psychological strain.

Encouraging men to speak up matters. Creating conditions in which they can act on health concerns matters just as much.

Movember 2026: Five Practical Ways to Improve Men's Health

Movember raises awareness of men's mental health and suicide prevention, alongside prostate and testicular cancer. But awareness is most valuable when it leads to meaningful action.

Here are five practical places to start.

1. Book the appointment you've been postponing.

Whether it's a persistent symptom, your blood pressure or a concern about your mental health, address it rather than waiting for it to become more serious. Be clear about what's concerning you and how long it has been happening.

2. Have a conversation that goes beyond "I'm fine".

Speak to someone you trust about something specific you're experiencing. Equally, make time to ask the men in your life how they're really doing, and give them space to answer.

3. Attach healthier behaviours to something you already enjoy.

Whether it's walking with a friend, joining a sports club or making changes to your nutrition, choose an approach that feels relevant and realistic. Sustainable behaviour change is easier when it fits your environment and routine.

4. Prioritise connection, particularly during periods of change.

Arrange time with friends, family members or colleagues who may have become more isolated, especially following retirement, redundancy, bereavement or relationship changes.

5. Know where to find support before you need it.

You do not need a diagnosed mental health condition to self-refer to NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression in England (NHS, 2026b).

If you're struggling to cope, Samaritans can be contacted free on 116 123, 24 hours a day. CALM provides support on 0800 58 58 58, from 5pm to midnight (NHS, 2026a).

For urgent mental health support in England, contact NHS 111 and select the mental health option. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 or attend A&E.

If low mood, anxiety or psychological distress is persistent or worsening, speak to your GP.

Beyond Movember: How to Improve Men's Health All Year Round

Movember creates an opportunity to challenge long-standing assumptions about men's health.

The evidence reminds us that the problem is not simply an unwillingness to seek help. Health inequalities, workplace pressures, social isolation and the accessibility of healthcare all influence whether men can access and benefit from support.

Improving men's health requires both individual action and environments that make those actions possible.

The moustache starts the conversation. What happens next matters more.

References:

Department of Health and Social Care. (2025). Men’s health: a strategic vision for England (CP 1432). GOV.UK. 

Gray, C. M., Wyke, S., Zhang, R., Anderson, A. S., Barry, S., Boyer, N., Brennan, G., Briggs, A., Bunn, C., Donnachie, C., Grieve, E., Kohli-Lynch, C., Lloyd, S. M., McConnachie, A., McCowan, C., MacLean, A., Mutrie, N., & Hunt, K. (2018). Long-term weight loss trajectories following participation in a randomised controlled trial of a weight management programme for men delivered through professional football clubs: A longitudinal cohort study and economic evaluation. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 15(1), Article 60. 

Hunt, K., Wyke, S., Gray, C. M., Anderson, A. S., Brady, A., Bunn, C., Donnan, P. T., Fenwick, E., Grieve, E., Leishman, J., Miller, E., Mutrie, N., Rauchhaus, P., White, A., & Treweek, S. (2014). A gender-sensitised weight loss and healthy living programme for overweight and obese men delivered by Scottish Premier League football clubs (FFIT): A pragmatic randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 383(9924), 1211-1221. 

Mughal, F., Bojanic, L., Rodway, C., Graney, J., Ibrahim, S., Quinlivan, L., Steeg, S., Tham, S.-G., Turnbull, P., Appleby, L., Webb, R. T., & Kapur, N. (2023). Recent GP consultation before death by suicide in middle-aged males: A national consecutive case series study. British Journal of General Practice, 73(732), e478-e485. 

NHS. (2026a). Help for suicidal thoughts. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/feelings-symptoms-behaviours/behaviours/help-for-suicidal-thoughts/

NHS. (2026b). Find NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression. https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/mental-health-services/find-nhs-talking-therapies-for-anxiety-and-depression/

Office for National Statistics. (2026, October 13). Suicides in England and Wales: 1981 to 2025. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/suicidesintheunitedkingdom/1981to2025