Men's health in Australia
Australian men generally enjoy better health and longer life expectancy than men in most other countries in the world.
In some areas, Australian men maintain good preventive health practices:
- Only 1 in 10 men smoke daily.
- 27% of men maintain recommended physical activity levels.
Men don’t always address health risk factors as effectively as they could, so there is still room for improvement in other areas:
- Less than 1 in 30 men eat enough fruit and vegetables.
- Only 1 in 4 men are not overweight or obese.
- Deaths from injury are 2.6 times more common in men than in women. More than 9 in 10 people killed at work are men.
Men still have a shorter life expectancy than women and die more often from preventable causes. In key areas where their risk factors could be better managed, men:
- are more than 3 times as likely as women to die from suicide
- experience 70% more potential years of life lost compared to women
- are more likely to drink, smoke and use illicit drugs.
It is important for men to visit their GP regularly to help them feel supported in maintaining good health and wellbeing, and address any concerns that may arise.
There are also health screening opportunities available for men, such as:
- Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) health checks – available for men aged 45 years and over
- bowel cancer checks – available every 2 years from age 50+
- general cancer screens – early detection increases treatment success.
Find more information on health screening for men on healthdirect.
Learn more about what we're doing to improve the health of men and boys in Australia.
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