2010 Model Answer
1. Karen McDonald says “Year after year, male death rates
are higher than female death rates for all causes and
men have lower life expectancy across Scotland.” (1
mark)
Karen is incorrect when she says “male death rates are
higher than female death rates for all causes” because in
Source C1(a) we can see that although male death rates
are higher for heart disease and cancer, they are lower
for strokes. Therefore Karen is incorrect. (1 mark)
Karen is correct when she says “…men have lower life
expectancy across Scotland”. Source C1(b) shows a table
of life expectancy in different regions of Scotland and in
every one, male life expectancy is lower. Therefore
Karen is correct. (1 mark)
2. (a) Karen McDonald says “Annually, the number of
males exceeding the recommended alcohol intake
guidelines continues to increase”. (1 mark)
This is exaggerated because in Source C2(a) we can see a
graph of alcohol intake and for males it has decreased
between 2003 and 2005. Therefore Karen is
exaggerating. (1 mark)
2. (b) William Walker says “In any event, more women
now smoke than men in every age group”. (1 mark)
This is exaggerated because in Source C2(b) we can see
that men between the ages of 25-34 and 35-44 smoke
more than women. (1 mark)
3. William Walker says “Surveys show most men wanted
Well Man Clinics open in the evenings and a majority
were unhappy with the information they received”.
(1 mark)
William is correct when he says “Surveys show most
men wanted Well Man Clinics open in the evenings” as
Source C3(b) shows that in a survey 77% of respondents
said that they would like to have seen Well Man Clinics
open in the evenings. (1 mark)
William is incorrect when he says “…a majority were
unhappy with the information they received” as Source
C3(a) shows that in a survey, 85% of respondents said
they were happy with the information they received.
(1 mark)
DME Report
Role and Remit
I am John Smith, a health policy adviser and have been asked
to prepare a report for the SG Cabinet Secretary for Health
and Wellbeing in which I will recommend whether or not to
introduce Well Man Clinics to every part of Scotland.
Recommendation
Having given careful consideration to the evidence, I am
recommending that Well Man Clinics should be introduced in
every part of Scotland.
Reasons for my recommendation
1. Men’s health continues to be worse than women’s
(Source A)
2. Men have lower life expectancy than women (Source A/
Source C1(b) )
3. Current Well Man Clinics have been successful (Source
A/ Source C3(a) )
4. Men are continuing to make poor lifestyle choices
(Source A/ Source C2(b) )
Possible criticisms of my recommendation
1. Daytime Clinics are not convenient for all men
(Source B)
2. The Clinics are a waste of money (Source B)
Reasons for my recommendation
1. Men’s health continues to be worse than women’s
It is clear that overall men’s health is worse than women’s
and that the government needs to do something urgently to
change this (Source A). Men have much higher death rates
than women for illnesses such as heart disease and cancer
and this needs to be addressed (Source C1(a) ). In addition,
new legislation in relation to equality means that it is
essential that the gender gap between the health of men and
women be reduced and so it is important that initiatives are
launched to achieve this (Source A). Furthermore, the
“Macho” culture which is evident across Scotland,
particularly in cities such as Glasgow, means that men do not
always seek help when they need it. Therefore it is hugely
important that men in Scotland be given more advice about
the dangers of unhealthy lifestyles so that the gender gap in
health can be reduced (BK, class notes). Therefore, I strongly
recommend that Well Man clinics be introduced across
Scotland.
2. Men have lower life expectancy than women
Evidence clearly shows that women across Scotland live
longer than men and it is crucial that this issue is tackled. In
2005, life expectancy for women in Scotland was 5 years
longer than for men – 79.2 for women and 72.2 for men
(Source C1(b) ). This is unacceptable and must be addressed.
In cities in Scotland such as Glasgow and Edinburgh, too
many men are shortening their own lives by making poor
lifestyle choices and so it is crucial that something is done to
counter this problem. Recent figures suggest that 20 Scots
per week die as a result of alcohol related illnesses and most
of these deaths are male (BK, BBC News Report). Therefore,
it is of paramount importance that Well Man Clinics are
introduced all over Scotland so that the gap in life expectancy
between men and women can be reduced.
3. Current Well Man Clinics have been successful
Another important reason why the Clinics should be
introduced is because the existing Clinics have been popular.
The pilot schemes introduced so far have worked well
(Source A) and a recent survey of men involved found that
85% were happy with the information they received (Source
C3(a) ). Therefore, since the pilot Clinics have been successful
there is no reason why they should not be introduced
throughout Scotland.
4. Men are continuing to make poor lifestyle choices
Many men are continuing to make poor lifestyle choices and
are more likely to drink, smoke, eat poorly and exercise less
compared to women (Source A). From 1999 to 2005, men
have consistently been more likely to drink too much
compared to women (Source C2(a) ) and men aged 25-44 are
more likely to smoke compared to women (Source C2(b) ). In
2008, the WHO Report on health in Scotland showed that the
Calton area of Glasgow had an average male life expectancy
of 54, and this was a result of high levels of smoking, drinking
and other poor lifestyle choices (BK, class notes). Since the
Well Man Clinics will offer advice on such issues and allow
men to drop-in when it is convenient, they should be
expanded across Scotland and this will help to reduce the
number of men making poor lifestyle choices by making
them more aware of the dangers.
Possible criticisms/response to my critics
1. Daytime clinics are not convenient for all men
It could be argued that the time of the clinics may not be
suitable for many men. One study into the pilot schemes
suggests that it is wrong to assume that “one size fits all” and
that most men would rather have Clinics in the evenings
(Source B). Indeed, one survey suggests that 77% would like
to have Clinics available in the evenings (Source C3(b) ).
However, there is no reason why health boards in Scotland
could not make arrangements for this. Other drop in Clinics
are available in the evenings for people to attend (BK, class
notes) and so there is no good reason why evening Clinics
would not be available. Also, the Well Man clinics are not
intended to be a single solution to men’s health problems but
rather can combine with other approaches to make a real
difference. For example, government advertising campaigns
emphasise the dangers of unhealthy lifestyle choices and the
recet Minimum Pricing of Alcohol legislation are also making
inroads into improving men’s health (BK, class notes).
Therefore, whilst the Well Man Clinics may not be perfect
they are a valuable method in attacking the problems with
men’s health and will work well in addition to other
government approaches. I therefore advise strongly that you
see that these Clinics are opened across Scotland.
2. The Clinics are a waste of money
There have been some suggestions that success with the
existing Clinics has not been universal and that this means
that the £4 million spent has been a waste (Source B). Critics
have suggested that in a time of economic recession money
should be invested on more successful projects such as
previous programmes related to illegal drugs (Source B).
However, it is clear that “prevention is better than cure”
(Source A) and that if men get good advice before a problem
gets out of hand then this will save the NHS money in the
long run (Source A). The Well Man Clinics are popular and
cost effective in comparison to other unpopular and
expensive initiatives such as the distribution of Methadone
to drug addicts (BK, class notes). Therefore, I would urge you
to roll out these Clinics throughout Scotland as they are a
cost effective way of preventing men from making poor
lifestyle choices.
Conclusion
To conclude, I strongly urge you as the Scottish Government
Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing to take into
consideration the advice I have offered, particularly as
regards the unacceptable gaps in health and life expectancy
between men and women, the success of pilot Clinics and the
continuing trend of poor male lifestyle choices. By
introducing Well Man Clinics throughout Scotland, men’s
health can be improved drastically.
Yours sincerely
John Smith