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Cited by 622Sex and Gender in HealthcarePrimary Care and Health OutcomesGender Roles and Identity Studies

Do men consult less than women? An analysis of routinely collected UK general practice data

Open access
Wang, Yingying, Hunt, Kate, Nazareth, Irwin, Freemantle, Nick, Petersen, Irene·2013·BMJ Open
DOI 10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003320PMC PMC3753483
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Abstract

Objective: To examine whether gender differences in primary care consultation rates (1) vary by age and deprivation status and (2) diminish when consultation for reproductive reasons or common underlying morbidities are accounted for. Design: Cross-sectional study of a cohort of patients registered with general practice. Setting: UK primary care. Subjects: Patients (1 869 149 men and 1 916 898 women) registered with 446 eligible practices in 2010. Primary outcome measures: Primary care consultation rate. Results: This study analyses routinely collected primary care consultation data. The crude consultation rate was 32% lower in men than women. The magnitude of gender difference varied across the life course, and there was no ‘excess’ female consulting in early and later life. The greatest gender gap in primary care consultations was seen among those aged between 16 and 60 years. Gender differences in consulting were higher in people from more deprived areas than among those from more affluent areas. Accounting for reproductive-related consultations diminished but did not eradicate the gender gap. However, consultation rates in men and women who had comparable underlying morbidities (as assessed by receipt of medication) were similar; men in receipt of antidepressant medication were only 8% less likely to consult than women in receipt of antidepressant medication (relative risk (RR) 0.916, 95% CI 0.913 to 0.918), and men in receipt of medication to treat cardiovascular disease were just 5% less likely to consult (RR=0.950, 95% CI 0.948 to 0.952) than women receiving similar medication. These small gender differences diminished further, particularly for depression (RR=0.950, 95% CI 0.947 to 0.953), after also taking account of reproductive consultations. Conclusions: Overall gender differences in consulting are most marked between the ages of 16 and 60 years; these differences are only partially accounted for by consultations for reproductive reasons. Differences in consultation rates between men and women were largely eradicated when comparing men and women in receipt of medication for similar underlying morbidities.

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  • Male people with dementia may struggle to express their needs effectively due to culturally expected gender roles and may also experience different social expectations or support dynamics that result in more unmet needs.

    “Additionally, male PWD may struggle to express their needs effectively due to culturally expected gender roles and may also experience different social expectations or support dynamics that result in more unmet needs. e.g., in primary care, men usually seek less medical advice than women [27, 28].”

    From Unmet Needs in Dementia Care: The Predictive Role of Caregiver Challenges (2025) · cites this paper as [28]

    The Results and Key messages (no page given) show that men consulted GPs less than women on average between ages 16 and 60, supporting the cited primary-care example. The paper says this difference was not found in the same way at younger and older ages, so “men usually seek less medical advice” is too broad, particularly as an example in a discussion of people with dementia. It does not establish the surrounding explanation about gender roles or unmet needs. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • Demand for mental healthcare and utilisation of mental healthcare services are higher in women than in men.

    “Furthermore, demand for mental healthcare19 and utilisation of mental healthcare services20 are higher in women than in men.”

    From Euthanasia requests, procedures and outcomes for 100 Belgian patients suffering from psychiatric disorders: a retrospective, descriptive study (2015) · cites this paper as [20]

    Citation 20 is attached to the claim about service utilisation, not demand. The Results section reports more GP consultations among women than men receiving antidepressant medication, but it measures primary-care consultations overall, not specifically use of mental healthcare services. The paper also finds that this gender difference is small among patients receiving medication for depression. (LLM, conf=0.84)

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. [3]Waldron I Trends in gender differences in mortality: relationships to changing gender differences in behaviour and other causal factors. In: Annandale E Hunt K eds Gender inequalites in health. Buckingham: Open University Press, 2000: 150– 81
  2. [26]Bertakis KD Azari R Helms LJ Gender differences in the utilization of health care services. J Fam Pract 2000; 49: 147– 52 10718692
  3. [36]British National Formulary Chapter 2: cardiovascular system; chapter 4: central nervous system. British National Formulary: RPS Publishing, 2007: 70

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Authors
Wang, Y., Hunt, K., Nazareth, I., Freemantle, N., & Petersen, I.
Affiliations
  • MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit (GB)
  • University College London (GB)
Corresponding author
Wang, Yingying
ORCID
Venue
BMJ Open
Publisher
BMJ
Published
2013-08
Volume
3
Issue
8
Pages
e003320
ISSN
2044-6055 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1136/bmjopen-2013-003320
PMC
PMC3753483
OpenAlex
W2161175062
Cited by
622
References
40
Citations by year
2026: 48 · 2025: 76 · 2024: 60 · 2023: 48 · 2022: 63 · 2021: 71 · 2020: 87 · 2019: 43 · 2018: 50 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 26 · 2014: 7
FWCI
19.18
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by-nc
Locations
  • BMJ Open (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Lancaster EPrints (Lancaster University) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • ENLIGHTEN (Jurnal Bimbingan dan Konseling Islam) (acceptedVersion)
  • UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Medical Research Council
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Sex and Gender in Healthcare
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Primary Care and Health Outcomes
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
Keywords
gender differences, socioeconomic deprivation, antidepressants, depression, age differences

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