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Young males more likely to die: report

Death rates for young males are higher than for young females, with their risk of dying in land accidents or because of suicide, three times higher.

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Source: AAP


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Three-quarters of young Australians who drown, die in crashes or take their own lives are male.

And they're also almost twice as likely to die as young women under all circumstances.

The findings are part of a new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) based on a snapshot of Australians 24 and younger.

According to the research, the overall death rate in the age range is 52 deaths per 100,000 for males compared to 30 per 100,000 for females.

The report, released on Thursday, found the difference was most acute between the ages of 15 and 24, when males were 2.4 times more likely to die.

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Men aged 18 were three-and-a-half times more likely to die than females the same age, according to statistics from 2008 to 2010.

Perinatal, or death associated with birth, accounted for the highest number of male deaths at 10 per 100,000, followed by land transport accidents at nine per 100,000 and suicide at six per 100,000.

The report found young males were three times more likely to take their own lives or die in land transport accidents or accidental drownings and submersion than young females.

Meanwhile, 43 per cent of those aged 14 to 19 were at risk of injury from excessive alcohol consumption.

"Males aged 0 to 24 were also more likely to be hospitalised for injury and more likely to die from injury than females of the same age," AIHW spokesperson Justin Harvey said in a statement.

A second AIHW report into men's health, for those aged 25 and over, found 44 per cent were overweight, an additional 31 per cent obese, while 66 per cent had a waist circumference that put them at risk of chronic disease.

"The proportion of males aged 25 and over who were overweight or obese increased from 69 per cent to 75 per cent between 1995 and 2011-12, and was highest among males aged 45 to 54," Mr Harvey said.


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