AIHW news

Men’s Health Week 2021

The article was originally posted on LinkedIn by Barry Sandison, AIHW CEO. 

It’s #MensHealthWeek—an important time to highlight health issues that affect men and raise awareness of them, particularly mental health.

Nearly 1 in 2 Australian males have experienced a mental health condition in their lifetime. Suicide and self-inflicted injuries, along with mental and substance use disorders, are among the leading causes of disease burden for Australian men aged 15 to 54.

Since 1907, the suicide rate for males has been consistently higher than females. This trend continues in 2019 with a rate 3 times higher than for females.

In 2015, suicide and self-inflicted injuries was the second leading cause of years of life lost for males (behind coronary heart disease), responsible for just over 7% of total years of life lost. 

Men are also less likely to seek help for mental health problems—27% reported using services for mental health problems versus 41% for women.

A male born in Australia in 2017–19 has a life expectancy of 80.9 years on average, while a female born at the same time could expect to live to 85.0 years. Coronary heart disease, dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and lung cancer were the three leading causes of male deaths in 2019.

This week provides a platform for challenging and debating key issues around men’s health, and to encourage conversation around their health outcomes and health needs.

Find out more on the AIHW’s website: 

Later this year, we’ll discuss some of the significant health challenges confronting women during Women’s Health Week (7–11 September).

Further information and support can be found on the official Men's Health Week website, or by reaching out to the following organisations: Lifeline on 13 11 14, Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36 or MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978.

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