View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. Archive content
August 11, 2005updated 22 Nov 2022 4:25pm

An unhealthy disregard for men’s health

By Press Gazette

Sadly, the editor of Loaded’s attitude to health stories (“Loaded rejects ‘boring’ health stories”, 5 August) is an all-too accurate reflection of a wider view within the market sector.

When
Peter Baker was health editor of Maxim in the mid-1990s, the magazine
regularly featured up to eight pages devoted to health. Now the total
coverage in all the so-called “lads mags” put together would come in at
considerably less than that. The quality of the coverage has plummeted
with the quantity.

Two out of three UK men are overweight, two
out of five drink too much and overall we’re far more likely to kill
ourselves or have a fatal accident than women. One of the reasons why
men’s health is so bad is down to our lack of awareness of the health
risks we’re running, an ignorance magazines such as Loaded seem only
too keen to indulge.

More worryingly, the role of these magazines is not a neutral one.

Recent
research from the US shows that teenagers who read such magazines are
twice as likely as those who do not read them to risk their health by
taking muscle-enhancing products, the safety of which in many cases is
questionable.

Clearly, these magazines can damage your body image
and perhaps your health. The least their editors could do to remedy
this would be to run some practical health information.

Fortunately,
men do have an alternative. Websites such as the Men’s Health Forum’s
site, malehealth.co.uk, can offer a depth of coverage that not even the
bestintentioned of magazines can match.

Content from our partners
MHP Group's 30 To Watch awards for young journalists open for entries
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it

And the advice is free, completely confidential and available to order – all of which are attractive to men.

Peter Baker, director, MHF Jim Pollard editor, malehealth.co.uk

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network