title: The status of men's health in Asia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aims to compare health status and its risk factors between men and women who are from countries of different income status in Asia.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have included 47 Asian countries and 2 regions in this study. Life expectancy, mortality rate from communicable disease, non-communicable disease and injuries, the prevalence of non-communicable diseases risk factors and their trends were extracted from the WHO and respective governmental database. Subgroup analysis was performed based on country income groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, men have shorter life expectancy and higher mortality rates compared to women. Men from higher-income countries lived longer compared to men from lower-income countries. There is a wide variation of male life expectancy in upper and lower middle income countries. The mean systolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and body mass index in Asia have also increased over the years.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study confirms that Asian men have poorer health compared to women besides the growing concerns on NCD risk factors. The findings from this study calls for a concerted effort to find solutions in addressing men's health problems in Asia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia. Electronic address: ngcj@um.edu.my.
authors.forename: Chirk Jenn
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Chin Hai
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Teo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, National University of Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Christopher Chee Kong
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, 111 S 11th St, Philadelphia, PA, United States.
authors.forename: Wei Phin
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Primary Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Hui Meng
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D001208:Asia / Q000453:epidemiology; D044466:Asian People; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000401:mortality; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000401:mortality; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008017:Life Expectancy; D008297:Male; D054526:Men's Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose
keywords: Asia; Income; Life expectancy; Men's health; Mortality; Non-communicable diseases; Risk factors