286888
Men's health policy development and implementation – the Australian perspective
Monday, November 4, 2013
: 11:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
Anthony Brown, PhD MBA BSc,
Men's Health Information and Resource Centre, University of Western Sydney, PENRITH NSW 2751, Australia
Australia, like the USA, is a federation of states and territories. In 1999 the government of the state of New South Wales (NSW) became the first government in the world to promulgate a men's health policy. Called Moving Forward in Men's Health this policy had a strong focus on the social determinants of male health and challenged health services to be more accessible to men, what is now referred to as being male friendly. It also proposed a structure for ensuring male health concerns are integrated into health service planning and delivery. In 2009 the Commonwealth (Federal) Government began a process of developing a national men's health policy, which involved direct consultations with men and health providers as well as input from appointed Men's Health Ambassadors. In 2010 the National Male Health Policy was launched, significantly sub-titled Building on the Strengths of Australian Males. Like its NSW predecessor this national policy also drew on the social determinants of male health and encouraged more male friendly health services. Both of these policies have contributed to a positive change in the discourse around men's health in Australia, moving away from blaming men for poor health outcomes. The first author of this paper was one of the Men's Health Ambassadors and this paper draws together the history of both the NSW and National Men's Health Policy as well as reflecting on the pragmatic and practical resource and structural constraints that have prevented the development of a more male friendly approach within health services.
Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Public health or related public policy
Learning Objectives:
Discuss the process for the development of a men's health policy based on the current international research on the social determinants of male health.
Keyword(s): Male Health, Policy/Policy Development
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: As Professor of Primary Health Care, Director of the Men's Health Information and Resource Centre of the University of Western Sydney, consultant to the State Government's Ministry of Health in matters of male health policy (first of its kind in Australia, second in the world) and to the Federal Government for the formation of the Male Health Policy, member of the Government's Male Health Reference Group, I am well placed to discuss this topic.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
