A life course approach to promote health and wellbeing of boys and men

Abstract

There has been an increasing focus on research and health promotion interventions that utilize life course approaches, as envisaged by the World Health Organization (WHO) strategic objective of ‘building health throughout the life course’ and the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, particularly Goal 3, which seek to ‘ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages’ (UN 2019). Life course approaches recognize an individual’s development from conception through to old age and seek opportunities across this continuum to intervene, shifting the life trajectory in the best direction possible. As a result, life course approaches enabling the development of policies, strategies and health promotion interventions that are responsive to evolving needs, changing demographics and epidemiological, social, cultural, environmental and behavioural factors, as well as to widening health inequities or equity gaps. Globally, health outcomes among boys and men continue to be substantially worse than among girls and women, with evidence supporting other contributing mortality factors separate from biology alone. Across the life course, the way boys and men learn to think about and project an image of themselves is often an inextricable part of the explanations for premature death. Health systems may miss key opportunities to engage boys and men who seek services by not offering specific, comprehensive and integrated services aimed at improving their overall health and wellbeing. Thus, studies and health promotion interventions should leverage the life course approach to address the health and well-being of boys and men. The Geneva Charter for Wellbeing (21 December 2021), which is the outcome of the 10 Global Conference on Health Promotion, underlines the urgency of creating sustainable ‘wellbeing societies’, committed to achieving equitable health now and for future generations without breaching ecological limits. Properly applied, a life-course approach can help realize the vision of SDG 3, ensure universal health coverage (UHC) and achieve health and wellbeing for males of all at all ages.