Lifestyle behaviours of men and women and implications for healthy lifestyle service providers in the large municipality of Leeds, UK

Objectives Men in the municipal setting of Leeds, UK were known to be at greater risk of preventable premature mortality compared to women (20% of male deaths occurring before age 65 compared to 12% of female deaths). Unhealthy lifestyles typically increase the risk of developing acute and chronic disease and dying prematurely. The objective of the research was to obtain knowledge of the difference between men’s and women’s lifestyles in order to develop specific gendered recommendations for the city’s healthy lifestyle service providers to improve men’s health behaviours. Methods Data for smoking status, alcohol consumption, physical activity status, weight classification and Healthy Lifestyles Service use of working age (16-64 years) males and females were obtained through General Practitioner (GP) audit data and reported at city level and across the 107 localities within Leeds. For each lifestyle factor, prevalence and proportion of the population with recorded data (known status) were calculated. Results The male vs. female prevalence of poor lifestyle factors were: smoker, 28% vs. 21%; alcohol consumption associated with increased or high risk to health, 20% vs. 13%; physically inactive, 24% vs. 29%; and above normal weight, 52% vs. 47%. Prevalence varied dramatically between localities, often higher in more deprived areas. Known status of unhealthy lifestyles differed across localities, with physical activity status and alcohol consumption not known for >80% of some local male populations. In total, 31.6% of Healthy Lifestyles Service users were men. Conclusions Compared to women in Leeds, men are generally more likely to engage in unhealthy lifestyle behaviours and yet are less likely to use available services. These findings suggest the importance of appreciating the different needs of men and women, and services developing suitable strategies to specifically reach out and target men. Improvements in data collection should be made to ensure those with the greatest health needs are identified