Dear AJPM Reader,

Today marks the first day of International Men's Health Week, making it especially appropriate that AJPM's June issue contains several articles related to men's health.

One paper investigates trends in suicide rates among older males in the U.S., who experience the highest suicide rate nationally. Authors found that suicide rates among this group decreased from 1999 to 2007 but increased significantly in the 10 years following the Great Recession of 2007–2008.

Mental health issues can be compounded by intersectional factors, as demonstrated by other research appearing in our June issue. The study, "Intersecting Structural Oppression and Black Sexual Minority Men's Health,"  found that for Black sexual minority men, structural racism and anti-LGBTQ policies were each positively associated with anxiety symptoms, perceived burdensomeness, and heavy drinking, with those associations more pronounced in states with high levels of anti-LGBTQ policies. These findings are particularly relevant and timely given that June is also Minority Mental Health Month.

A third paper, "Why Gender Equality Is Good for Men's Health and Why This Matters Now," also touches on mental health. The authors of this Current Issues article outline the manner in which gender equality is often positioned as an issue for women and girls but also clearly benefits men and boys—especially their health, including better mental health and reduced mortality.

We hope you find these articles, as well as the rest of our June 2021 issue, to be timely, topical, and informative.

Yours in prevention and health,