Defining “Men’s Health”

Abstract

A definition is required for men’s health that captures current thinking around men and their health and wellbeing globally. A new definition of men’s health should reflect greater complexity than that has existed in previously accepted, over-simplistic definitions of what constitutes “men’s health.” In addition, the most commonly used definitions in the field that originated from the westernised countries of the Global North do not seem to be inclusive of the heterogeneity among a significant proportion of the world’s population. Definitions are important as they help drive academic endeavour, practice and policy; they also help shape organisations working in men’s health and, as such, they need to be as broad as possible. This paper outlines the limitations and conceptual concerns in the current definitions and argues for a more inclusive definition.