Men鈥檚 health across Tennessee is trending toward improvement, according to the听, but racial and geographic disparities persist.听听
Compiled by Vanderbilt University鈥檚听听in cooperation with Vanderbilt University Medical Center, the听,听听and the听, the TMHRC reports the state of health and well-being in men across Tennessee and is used to guide policy advocacy and practices across the state.听听
, professor of medicine, health and society and founder and director of the CRMH, led the development of the fifth report card.听听
鈥淢en鈥檚 health seems to be hidden in plain sight. We鈥檝e known for more than 100 years that men have a shorter life span than women, but men鈥檚 health tends not to get the attention that the health profile suggests it deserves,鈥� Griffith said. 鈥淭his is not to take resources away from women鈥檚 health or maternal child health but to recognize that men鈥檚 health also is important to our families, communities and state.鈥�听
The purpose of this report card is to advocate for the inclusion of听men鈥�s health听in policy听initiatives听and funding streams meant to听benefit听all Tennesseans, and to help dispel the myth that听improving听men鈥檚 health听can be reduced to changing听men鈥檚 unhealthy behavior, Griffith explains.听听
Key findings include:听
- Heart disease is the leading cause of death for white, Black and Hispanic men in Tennessee;听
- Between 1975 and 2018, the difference in prostate cancer mortality rates between Black and white men decreased, while the difference in colon, rectal, lung and bronchus cancer mortality rates between Black and white men grew;听
- From 2014 to 2018, men had higher rates of death caused by opioid overdose than women, and white men鈥檚 opioid overdose rate was almost twice that of Black听men;听
- Men in East Tennessee had higher rates of opioid overdose death than men in Middle or West Tennessee;听
- 60 percent of traumatic brain injury patients were male;听
- Non-Hispanic Black males account for more than half of males newly diagnosed with HIV in 2018 despite being only 16 percent of the male population in the state.听
Griffith sees data as a means to promoting health equity听by helping to听illustrate that men鈥檚 health patterns and issues are significant and diverse. His team听worked closely with the听Tennessee听Department of Health to identify听different data that could shed light on emerging and longstanding issues听in men鈥檚 health across the state.听听听
In addition to data included in previous report cards, this year the researchers added substantive information on Hispanic men,听opioid overdose and听traumatic brain injury for the first time. This report card also includes a historical and contextualized analysis of cancer-related deaths. 听
Griffith shares that we should celebrate the successes of improvements in men鈥檚 health across the state and should remain vigilant in addressing the work left to be done.听听听
