Cumberland Council has published its Public Health Annual Report 2026, highlighting stark inequalities in men’s health — and calling for a wider conversation about masculinity and its impact on health, relationships and communities.
Titled “Man up? Understanding men’s health and identity in Cumberland, and why it matters for everyone”, the report shows that men in Cumberland experience significantly poorer health outcomes than women, including higher rates of suicide, substance misuse and earlier death.
The report identifies suicide, drug poisoning and injury as the biggest contributors to inequalities in life expectancy, with men accounting for the majority of deaths. Between 2022 and 2024, suicide rates in Cumberland were among the highest in England.
Drawing on local data, national evidence and lived‑experience insight - including findings from The Big Question work on suicide in Cumberland - the report explores how poverty, work, education, isolation and social expectations around masculinity shape men’s mental and physical health across their lives.
Crucially, the report goes beyond services and systems, highlighting the role that social norms around masculinity can play - both positively and negatively. While many traditional values such as responsibility, loyalty and providing for family can be strengths, the report finds that expectations around emotional silence, dominance and control can contribute to harm, including poor mental health, delayed help‑seeking and, in some cases, violence and domestic abuse.
While the report highlights the scale of the challenge, it also recognises that Cumberland is not starting from scratch. It points to existing work led by the council and partners, including investment in prevention and early help, community‑based mental health support, partnership working with voluntary and community organisations, and pilot approaches designed to reach men earlier and more effectively.
However, the report is clear that current systems often respond too late, after people have reached crisis, and do not always reflect how men seek help. It therefore calls for a stronger focus on prevention and earlier intervention — particularly for boys and young men — alongside more open and honest conversations about identity, relationships and what it means to be a man today.
Key recommendations include strengthening support earlier in life through schools and communities, treating post‑suicide bereavement as part of prevention, and expanding low‑threshold, face‑to‑face and peer‑based support.
The report also emphasises that improving men’s health requires shifting culture as well as services — promoting healthier, more flexible ideas of masculinity that support emotional expression, respect and positive relationships.
Colin Cox, Director of Public Health, Customer and Community Wellbeing for Cumberland Council, said: “This report challenges the idea that men’s poor health outcomes are simply about individual choices or resilience.
“The evidence shows they are shaped by deprivation, place and opportunity — but also by the expectations placed on men and how those expectations are lived out.
“We need to have more open conversations about what it means to be a man in today’s society — recognising the positive roles men play, while also addressing the pressures and behaviours that can lead to harm, both for men themselves and for others.
“By focusing on prevention, earlier support and healthier ways to understand masculinity, we have an opportunity to reduce harm, support families and prevent avoidable loss of life.”
The report concludes that progress will depend on sustained partnership working, clearer shared outcomes and a long‑term commitment to tackling both the causes and cultural drivers of poor health.
To read the report please click here.