Denmark is country in which 83.7% of men report that they feel well enough most of the time to do what they want to do.
Health campaigners across Europe will be wondering how they manage it. The answer is perhaps to be found in a report published this month by the Danish National Board of Health. Men’s health - A health status of men in Denmark and a review of effective interventions for promoting men’s health was prepared by Mette Kjøller, Michael Davidsen, Knud Juel and Anna Bachmann. A short version is available in English.
Despite men’s sense of wellness, Denmark does have many of the familiar gender differences. More men than women smoke heavily, for example, and more men than women exceed the maximum alcohol consumption recommended by the National Board of Health. Among those aged 16–59, men have a 27% higher hospital admission rate than women regardless of previous illness.
President of the Danish Men's Health Society for Men's Health and EMHF board member Dr Svend Aage Madsen said: 'This is the first time that an official Danish health authority has recognised men's health as a distinct issue. There is no doubt that the work of The Danish Men's Health Society has been crucial in achieving this. Now the hard work is to commit politicians and health authorities to actually act upon the knowledge presented in the report.'
