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Australia targets men's health

Australia's aggressively "macho" men have been targeted by what is being billed as the world's first blueprint to tackle male health problems. The draft policy, unveiled by the federal health minister, Carmen Lawrence, is aimed at critically examining men's health in the same way that women's health was examined in the 1980s.

Dr Lawrence said that the federal government would spend up to A$4m (pounds sterling2m) on the first stage of the strategy. "The conventional approach to men's health is to deal with injuries, disease, and conditions in isolation from other factors," said Dr Lawrence. "This draft policy establishes a more holistic approach to men's health and recommends broad responses to specific problems."

The first phase will see education, community information, and research as the key initiatives of a three point action plan. A national conference held in Australia last year highlighted the impact of masculinity and male socialisation and of work, unemployment, and socioeconomic status on men's health outcomes.

Dr Lawrence said: "Unless the nature of men's work, their socioeconomic status, and pressures such as unemployment are taken into account, the health system will struggle to come to terms with targeting men."

Research by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that men of working age are disproportionately affected by several major killers--deaths from heart disease and suicide are 3.5 times higher, deaths from lung cancer three times higher, and deaths in car accidents 2.5 times higher. The same research shows that men of working age have significantly higher levels of risk taking behaviour, such as smoking and drink driving, but are less likely to visit doctors, hospitals, and dentists.

Under the draft plan, education campaigns and community based programmes would target boys at school and men in the workplace, service clubs, and health centres. A major media campaign is planned.

Dr Lawrence said that the campaign would encompass "everything from trying to convince young men not to take up smoking through to trying to ensure that older men take that visit to the doctor sooner rather than later."

Dr Lawrence said that the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men was one of the greatest areas of concern. "The rate of death for 40 year old Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men is more than 11 times that of 40 year old non-indigenous Australian men."

The opposition health spokesman Michael Wooldridge said that the policy could be viewed as insulting and patronising. "If Labor is truly serious about improving the health of men, it needs not just to tackle perceived symptoms but to attack their underlying social and economic causes," he said.--CHRISTOPHER ZINN, Australian correspondent, Guardian

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