Central Edmonton pegged as having some of the highest rates of premature deaths in men: report
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Kathy Wakaluk-Yanco is no stranger to the uphill battle when it comes to men's health.
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Working in a predominantly male field for Imperial Oil at Kearl Oil Sands in northern Alberta, she's seen how men in her workforce have struggled with their mental health in silence and the need for more resources. Paired with her personal experience helping her son navigate his mental health struggles, Wakaluk-Yanco saw an opportunity to work with Movember Canada to bring those resources to the workplace.
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'I believe every man deserves a safe space to be vulnerable,' Wakaluk-Yanco said.
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'What we've done at work is we provide free counseling to people that are up there, we've created a culture of caring and a sense of belonging and trust up at work…we've had over 130 first time users up at our site and the ripple effect that creates — it's not only helping the men, it's helping their family and their communities that they live in.'
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According to a new report by Movember Canada, men are dying younger, and two Edmonton ridings have been highlighted as having some of the highest rates of premature deaths in men.
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The report outlines factors contributing to the increased mortality rate in men such as cancer, suicide and heart disease. It emphasized the need for further health literacy and government policies to address the issue.
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In 2023, nearly 75,000 men died before the age of 75 — equivalent to 44 per cent of men who died that year, according to the report.
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Dr. John Oliffe, a professor at the University of British Columbia and co-author of the report, said social determinants of health play a large role when it comes to specific areas where premature death is higher. Nunavut has the highest number of premature deaths for men in Canada, which Oliffe said is due to factors such as isolation in rural and remote areas and lack of services.
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'We know lot of folks with lower levels of income, education, less employment — real social issues — time and again, we've shown empirically that when people are disadvantaged in those social determinants, their lives are shorter,' Oliffe said.
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According to the report, Indigenous men live significantly shorter lives than non-Indigenous men. The 2016-2019 life expectancy at birth for men was 72.8 years for First Nations, 78.9 years for Métis and 68.8 years for Inuit — compared to 82.7 years for non-Indigenous men.
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Indigenous people fleeing wildfires face immense mental health burdens. Experts say they shouldn't have to
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Eventually, she says birth workers in N.W.T. connected her with a Victoria midwife and she was relieved to learn her pregnancy was progressing normally. Liske's experience is just one example of how Indigenous people in Canada are disproportionately impacted by wildfires, which researchers say are becoming more frequent and more intense due to climate change. As a result, they say Indigenous people are particularly vulnerable to being displaced from their communities, and that can take an immense toll on their mental health. Psychologists who've studied disaster recovery and counselled those affected say it's normal to feel fearful and stressed during wildfire evacuation and there are ways to improve evacuations for Indigenous people. Suzanne Stewart, a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto, says Indigenous communities impacted by wildfires disproportionately experience adverse mental health outcomes partly because they often live in affected areas. That's on top of cultural trauma from being displaced, she said, noting that a relationship with the land is integral to the identity and well-being of Indigenous people. Mental health toll can linger long after wildfire evacuees return home 2 years ago Duration 2:15 Separation from family "I've seen Indigenous individuals and communities spend months staying in temporary quarters in motel rooms hundreds of miles from their home with really no say in when they can return," said Stewart, who has provided counselling and mental health supports to Indigenous people. "Evacuations, in the moment, are emergencies," she said. "Those often cause anxiety." Stewart says the immediate needs of those being evacuated include mental supports such as validating people's feelings, as well as addressing emotional and spiritual needs. Even something as basic as accommodations can have an impact, which she saw when her own family faced evacuations from N.W.T. in 2023. 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WATCH | Wildfire evacuees endure hardship and uncertainty: 'I just want to get home': wildfire evacuees face hardship and uncertainty 3 days ago Duration 2:01 Long journeys from home The 2023 Yellowknife evacuations were one of the examples data co-ordinator Elisa Binon cited in her report on internal displacements — the forced movement of people within countries following disaster, violence or war. Binon, who works with the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, recorded more than 190,000 internal displacements in Canada in 2023 due to disasters like wildfires. Of these, First Nations, Inuit and Métis accounted for about 30,000 displacements, a disproportionate trend that continued in 2024, she said. The report also noted Indigenous Peoples living on reserves made up just five per cent of Canada's population but represented more than 16 per cent of internal displacements due to disasters in 2023, mainly from wildfires. 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CBC
2 days ago
- CBC
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About 44 per cent of men living in Canada die prematurely, according to a new report from the Movember Institute of Men's Health. The report defines premature mortality as deaths in men before age 75. The deaths from cancer, coronary heart disease, accidents, suicide and the opioid crisis include some causes that might have been prevented through vaccinations, lifestyle changes like quitting smoking or avoiding injuries. In 2023, almost 75,000 males died prematurely, according to Statistics Canada. "We're here because too many men are dying too young from largely preventable causes," Catherine Corriveau of Movember Canada said at a news conference on Parliament Hill on Thursday. Suicide was the fourth leading cause of premature death in males after cancer, coronary heart disease and accidents. Three in four of the deaths by suicide in Canada were men, Corriveau said. While the report looks at the health needs of men overall, the group noted those statistics were much worse for Indigenous men or men living in vulnerable communities. Stigma, gender bias and low health literacy are long-standing barriers that often prevent men from seeking care until it's too late, the report's authors said. The impact extends to families, communities and the economy. Fathers and sons learn together Niigaan Sinclair, a co-author of the report and professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba, said one solution is to have fathers and sons learn together. He gave an example during a recent fathers' weekend where he spoke and saw boys and men who grew up without fathers or uncles learning skills like how to tie their shoes, do a puzzle or build a lodge together. 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The Movember report included a nationally representative poll of more than 1,500 men on their experiences engaging with primary care. Only about 48 per cent of respondents said they felt actively listened to during a first health-care interaction. "If they don't feel listened to and if they don't feel cared for, they might not show up again," Corriveau said. Dr. Vincent Agyapong, a professor and head of psychiatry at Dalhousie University, said he was surprised by that finding. "It reflects that health-care providers need to listen more empathetically," said Agyapong, who was not involved in the report and welcomed the authors' multi-pronged approach to mental health that isn't one-size-fits-all. "It's always very difficult for men to reach out and seek help," Agyapong said. Prioritize mental health literacy When men do seek help, Agyapong said, it's important that health-care providers are sensitive and focus on the main concern that brought the person in off the bat, instead of launching into a checklist of background questions. Agyapong said schools and workplaces should prioritize mental health literacy, providing men with resources to recognize the signs and symptoms of mental disorders and know they are treatable with medications and psychological approaches. Mental health promotion for men at risk will lead to more people seeking healthcare such as psychological help earlier on when they are distressed rather than trying to manage themselves or turning to alcohol and drugs, which can be risk factors themselves, Agyapong said. Corriveau said Canada has an opportunity to address the challenges of health promotion by developing a national men's health strategy to respond to their health-care needs. Australia and the U.K. have already done so.
Calgary Herald
2 days ago
- Calgary Herald
Central Edmonton pegged as having some of the highest rates of premature deaths in men: report
Article content Kathy Wakaluk-Yanco is no stranger to the uphill battle when it comes to men's health. Article content Working in a predominantly male field for Imperial Oil at Kearl Oil Sands in northern Alberta, she's seen how men in her workforce have struggled with their mental health in silence and the need for more resources. Paired with her personal experience helping her son navigate his mental health struggles, Wakaluk-Yanco saw an opportunity to work with Movember Canada to bring those resources to the workplace. Article content Article content Article content 'I believe every man deserves a safe space to be vulnerable,' Wakaluk-Yanco said. Article content Article content 'What we've done at work is we provide free counseling to people that are up there, we've created a culture of caring and a sense of belonging and trust up at work…we've had over 130 first time users up at our site and the ripple effect that creates — it's not only helping the men, it's helping their family and their communities that they live in.' Article content According to a new report by Movember Canada, men are dying younger, and two Edmonton ridings have been highlighted as having some of the highest rates of premature deaths in men. Article content The report outlines factors contributing to the increased mortality rate in men such as cancer, suicide and heart disease. It emphasized the need for further health literacy and government policies to address the issue. Article content In 2023, nearly 75,000 men died before the age of 75 — equivalent to 44 per cent of men who died that year, according to the report. Article content Article content Article content Dr. John Oliffe, a professor at the University of British Columbia and co-author of the report, said social determinants of health play a large role when it comes to specific areas where premature death is higher. Nunavut has the highest number of premature deaths for men in Canada, which Oliffe said is due to factors such as isolation in rural and remote areas and lack of services. Article content 'We know lot of folks with lower levels of income, education, less employment — real social issues — time and again, we've shown empirically that when people are disadvantaged in those social determinants, their lives are shorter,' Oliffe said. Article content According to the report, Indigenous men live significantly shorter lives than non-Indigenous men. The 2016-2019 life expectancy at birth for men was 72.8 years for First Nations, 78.9 years for Métis and 68.8 years for Inuit — compared to 82.7 years for non-Indigenous men.
