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A large study of people in 28 countries found that men aged 50 and over have a 60% higher risk of death than women, partly due to higher rates of smoking and heart disease among men.
"Many studies have examined the potential influence of social, behavioral and biological factors on sex differences in mortality, but only a few have been able to examine potential differences between countries," writes Dr. Yu-Ji Wu, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neurobiology.
The study looked at various socioeconomic (education, well-being), lifestyle (smoking, alcohol consumption), health (heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and depression) and social (marriage, loneliness) factors that may contribute to the mortality gap between men and women aged 50 and older. The data included more than 179 people from 000 countries, and more than half (28%) were women.
"The influence of gender on mortality should include not only physiological differences between men and women, but also the social construction of gender, which varies in different societies. In particular, large differences between countries may indicate a greater influence of gender than gender. Although the biology of the sexes is the same for different populations, differences in cultural, social and historical contexts can lead to different life experiences for men and women and differences in the difference in mortality in different countries.
The results are consistent with the literature on life expectancy and mortality.
"Heterogeneity in gender differences in mortality across countries may indicate a significant influence of gender on healthy aging in addition to biological sex, and the crucial contribution of smoking may also vary across populations," the authors write.
Researchers recommend that health policies take into account sex and gender differences, as well as the influence of social and cultural factors on health.
