Social isolation and poverty blamed for early death
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POVERTY and extreme social isolation are being blamed for the low life expectancy of men in Ireland's least-populated county.
More than four years separate the average life expectancy of men in the two adjoining rural counties of Leitrim and Roscommon.
Men in the county known as 'Lovely' Leitrim come bottom of the league, with a life expectancy of 72.8 years; while across the county line in Roscommon, a man's life expectancy is 77 years -- the highest in the country.
But the findings, published by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland and based on 60 health-related indicators, came as no surprise to the North Leitrim Men's Group which has been working at the coalface for 12 years.
The group has previously been involved in two studies highlighting the marginalised lives of many men forgotten by the Celtic Tiger, explained researcher Joel Smith.
"It doesn't surprise me that Leitrim men have the lowest life expectancy but I am still disappointed.
"Poverty is the overriding factor [in life expectancy], as well as the high dependency of men in this area on agriculture and the construction industry for their livelihoods," he said.
Research has shown that an estimated 37pc of men are reliant on small farms of land with a further 25pc involved in the now-struggling construction industry.
North Leitrim also has a disproportionately high level of single men, with 31pc aged between 35 and 65 having no partner, compared with a national figure of 18pc.
Single men represent 80pc of all single persons between the ages of 35 and 65 in Leitrim.
"They say the life expectancy of a man living alone is greatly reduced," said Mr Smith.
In the recent 'Men on the Border' research, over 70pc of those surveyed rated their reading skills as poor or very poor.
The research also found that 33pc of men visited their doctor less than once a year and in many cases never.
Housing in the area can be old-fashioned without double glazing, central heating and other mod-cons.
Target
The North Leitrim Men's Group has called on agencies to recognise men as a specific target group in their yearly budgetary planning.
"Men have to be looked on as a specific group otherwise they are not being dealt with properly. There has to be tailor-made innovative programmes for men," said Joel.
One success story has been the mobile health checks which took place at marts and other public places around the county.
The Men's Group also called for the prioritisation of improvement work on houses in poor condition.
"To say that these people do not exist because they do not apply for home improvements is a failure of the agencies charged with looking after the most needy," said Mr Smith.
The group has also called on the Government to start taking a leadership role in promoting the health and well-being of those men on low incomes.
- Anita Guidera
