COVID-19, Equity and Men’s Health: Using Evidence to Inform Future Public Health Policy, Practice and Research Responses in Pandemics

James Smith, Derek Griffith, Alan White, Peter Baker, Daphne Watkins, Murray Drummond, Andrea Semlow

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Citations (Scopus)
82 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) reflected a global pandemic. Early epidemiological analyses demonstrated that boys and men have similar rates of COVID-19 infection to girls and women. However, boys and men appear to be disproportionately impacted with respect to severity and mortality, including those from marginalised or minority backgrounds. Yet, considerations of sex and gender, and their relationship to health and social inequities, have been absent from recent COVID-19 policy and practice pandemic responses. This evidence-based commentary discusses the nexus between COVID-19, equity, and boys and men’s health from a broad public health perspective. Using scholarship about intersections between race and gender; and poverty, social determinants of health, and gender; we explain why a health equity lens is important to address the health and social inequities boys and men face during pandemics. This contribution provides guidance about future global public health pandemic responses for society’s most vulnerable groups of boys and men.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)e48-e64
Number of pages17
JournalInternational Journal of Men's Social and Community Health
Volume3
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 6 Jul 2020

Keywords

  • COVID-19
  • Men's Health
  • Equity
  • Gender
  • Pandemic
  • Men’s health

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'COVID-19, Equity and Men’s Health: Using Evidence to Inform Future Public Health Policy, Practice and Research Responses in Pandemics'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this