Men in London reveal top five body concerns this summer

The main concern for men in the London is height – a huge 28 per cent of men surveyed, who say they are unhappy with their appearance, say their height is an issue.

The top five body concerns for men in the London revealed:

• Not being tall enough (28 per cent)
• Feeling unattractive compared to others (25 per cent)
• Losing their hair (22 per cent)
• Feeling overweight (19 per cent)
• Comparing themselves to those on social media (15 per cent)

The mental impact of these concerns is evident - one in ten British men (10 per cent) say they have poor mental health and of those, nearly half (45 per cent) say unhappiness with their appearance is a factor.

These findings are just some of the revelations in the 2024 STADA Health Report, published by global healthcare leader STADA, parent company of Thornton & Ross, the pharmaceutical giant behind some of the biggest names in medicine and cleaning cupboards in the UK, and the firm behind brands like Covonia®, Cetraben®, Hedrin®, Savlon® and Zoflora®. The independently conducted Health Report, now in its 10th year, surveys more than 46,000 respondents from 23 countries, with 2,000 respondents from the UK.

To try to combat their body concerns, The STADA Health Report’s findings show that men in the UK are turning to a number of means of improving their personal wellbeing.

The five most popular actions men in the UK are taking to try to improve their health and wellbeing:

• Exercising at home or at the gym (59 per cent)
• Eating a healthy diet (59 per cent)
• Engaging in activities that support mental wellbeing, such as Sudoku (37 per cent)
• Socialising with friends (29 per cent)
• Attending preventative health check-ups (27 per cent)

For these men who hate the way they look, one in ten (10 per cent) say they often compare themselves to others on social media. This could be creating unhealthy eating habits, with more than one in ten men (13 per cent) following extreme diet fads promoted by influencers, such as intermittent fasting in order to lose weight.

Tom Quinn, director of external affairs, at eating disorder charity Beat, commented on the findings, "Social media often praises certain body types and sizes, which can lead to negative thoughts about body image for those who don't feel they meet these standards. This can contribute to dangerous eating disorder thoughts and behaviours if someone is unwell with an eating disorder or vulnerable to developing one. While social media can be a positive space for some, harmful health and weight loss advice is very common online, and young people are often exposed to content that can contribute to an eating disorder developing or worsen an existing eating disorder.

"Eating disorders are complex and there are many different reasons why these mental illnesses can develop, including stressful life events such as grief, abuse or the breakdown of relationships. Psychological factors like low self-esteem or perfectionism can also play a part, as well as genetics. Accessing help as soon as possible leads to the best chances of making a full recovery, which is why we urge anybody struggling to speak to a loved one they trust and set up a GP appointment at the earliest opportunity. Charities like Beat are also here to provide advice while you wait for treatment."

The study has also found that men as well as women are united in their desire to see more regulation on social media, with 71% of those in the UK saying that social media should have greater transparency around filters and editing used on pictures.

Nigel Stephenson, general manager at STADA Thornton & Ross said, “It’s concerning to see that so many men in the UK are feeling unhappy with their appearance, and it’s a sad statistic that 1 in 10 men have poor mental health, with nearly half of those attributing their unhappiness to how they look.

“STADA is dedicated to caring for people's health as a trusted partner, and this goes beyond our company. Mental wellbeing is just as important as physical wellbeing, and clearly more work needs to be done across the UK to provide better mental health resources, and support those struggling with their body image.”