Ellaway A. Who is more likely to experience common disorders: men, women, or both equally? Lay perceptions in the West of Scotland

Background Gender differences in health are commonly observed by epidemiologists. Little is known about lay beliefs concerning the gender patterning of common conditions. Methods Using the West of Scotland Twenty-07 Study, we analysed responses to a question in a postal questionnaire asking whether respondents thought men or women (or both equally) were more likely to have heart disease, cancer, mental illness, and accidents, to be fit, and to live longer. This question was answered by 466 females and 353 males, then aged 25, 45, and 65 yr. Results Responses were in general in accord with epidemiological findings, but females had significantly lower odds than males of perceiving men as being at greater risk of accidents and heart disease, and higher odds than males of perceiving women as being at greater risk of mental illness. Conclusions There was a tendency for each gender to think risks were higher for their own sex than did the other gender. This observation needs further exploration, particularly in the light of the research showing ‘optimistic bias ’ in relation to health, and research suggesting that socioeconomically disadvantaged people may be least likely to perceive socially structured health inequalities