PHILADELPHIA (May 12, 2026) — While social and economic factors are often viewed as primary drivers of health, a new analysis in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) suggests that the relationship between societal position and physical well-being is more complex than previously understood.
The essay, co-authored by Derek M. Griffith, PhD , the Risa Lavizzo-Mourey Population Health and Health Equity University Professor in Penn Nursing and Penn Medicine, and Director of the Program for Research on Men’s Health, examines why non-Hispanic White men do not consistently experience the highest health outcomes in the U.S. despite high levels of representation in leadership and economic sectors. In 2022, the life expectancy for White men was 75.1 years, falling behind that of Hispanic men (77.0) and Asian men (82.3).
Key Focus Areas of the Analysis:
“We have to better understand the heterogeneity among White men and how they define their identities, aspirations, and goals to create effective and sustainable interventions to address their high rates of depression, alcohol use, and suicide,” said Griffith.
The authors suggest that shifts in the economic landscape and changing social roles can act as stressors that impact long-term health. The analysis proposes that moving toward more diverse and flexible social expectations for men could lead to better health outcomes across all populations.
"A deeper understanding of how the broader social environment in the U.S. contributes to White men’s health and beliefs about manhood could help us learn how to more effectively support their physical and mental health,” said co-author Caroline Efird, PhD, MPH , Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at Georgetown University's School of Health. “We need more research investigating variations in how men of all racial identities construct notions of manhood and masculinity—this will help us develop better interventions to improve men’s health.”
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American Journal of Public Health
Structural Advantage and White Men’s Health and Well-Being
30-Apr-2026