Nearly Half of Aussie Men Suffer From One or More Chronic Conditions: Report

People battling mental health disorders became more stressed and anxious. LightField Studios/Shuttertock

A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has found that 49 percent of Australian men suffer from at least one chronic condition, including arthritis, asthma, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, back problems, and mental health conditions.

“This statistic is key in identifying the health needs of men, understanding their practices, behaviours and how they access health care. One chronic medical condition, unfortunately, can be the gateway in developing other chronic health issues, increasing morbidity and the likelihood of premature death,” Mosh General Practitioner Dr. Sabrina Campbell told The Epoch Times in an email.

Additionally, 58 percent of Aussie men rate their health as excellent or very good, while statistically, 75 percent of Aussie men are overweight or obese.

Comparatively, the report found that Aussie women experience more of their total disease burden from living with the disease than from dying prematurely. This is the opposite of men, who experience more of their total disease burden due to dying early from disease and injury than from living with disease and injury.

When it comes to risky behaviours, men are, again, more likely than women to engage in risky health behaviours such as tobacco, alcohol, and other substance use, physical inactivity, and poor dietary choices.

“Males are also less likely to seek health care such as general practitioners (GP) and health professionals for their mental health,” the AIHW report states.

Men’s Mental Health

Mental health is one of five priority health areas the federal government has identified as key causes of morbidity and mortality for all Australians—conditions where men are overrepresented or conditions specific to men.

“The diversity amongst men and boys in Australia, as well as biological differences between males and females, contribute to these differences and to males experiencing poorer health outcomes in many areas,” according to the National Men’s Health Strategy 2020-2030 (pdf).

According to the Australian Men’s Health Forum (AMHF), 1 in 2 men will experience a mental health disorder in their lifetime.

During 2020-21, 22 percent of males reported having anxiety-related and substance use (27 percent) disorders, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

Furthermore, suicide is the leading cause of death for males under the age of 55, and men account for 3 in 4 suicides.

Meanwhile, 31 percent of males aged 16–24 had a 12-month mental health disorder, compared with 22 percent of those aged 25–44 and 10 percent of those aged 65–74.

“Although access to mental health services has risen broadly over the last two decades, and federal and state and territory governments have identified mental health as a policy priority, there remain challenges in reducing the burden of mental ill-health in Australia,” the health strategy states.

Dr. Campbell said that understanding and addressing mental health is generally a challenge for all of society.

“For men, there may be challenges in recognising mental health issues. Anxiety and depression can present in many ways that are not easily distinguishable,” Dr. Campbell said.

“Reluctance to discuss feelings or identify when there are troubles often means a delay in accessing appropriate health services and finding the right type of support.

“Some societal and archaic notions of masculinity continue to be a barrier for men seeking help and prioritising their physical and mental health.”

The Australian Men’s Health Forum has recommended four daily habits for men to encourage better mental health.

These are:

1. Healthy Body: eat well, exercise, reduce alcohol
2. Healthy Lifestyle: take care of relationships, work and social life
3. Healthy Mindset: be mindful, set goals, reframe unhelpful thoughts
4. Healthy Connections: talk with mates, know when and where to get help

If you or close friends or relatives need assistance with mental health, you can call Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636).

Men’s Heart Health

Although cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in Australian males, the disease has been declining for more than 50 years due to reductions in risk factors and better medical treatment, according to the report.

Statistics show that 30 men die from heart disease each day, while 4 in 5 heart-related deaths occur in men under the age of 65.

In 2022, cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and atrial fibrillation, accounted for almost 12 percent of the total burden of disease (14 percent males, 10 percent females), ranking third behind cancer and musculoskeletal conditions, according to the AIHW.

“The high levels of chronic conditions among men in Australia reinforces the need for an increasing focus on promoting healthy lifestyle choices and decreasing health risk factors, including smoking, overweight and obesity, physical inactivity and poor dietary choices—all of which are more prevalent in men than women,” the health strategy states.

The Australian Men’s Health Forum (AMHF) has also recommended men check their Body Mass Index (BMI), Blood Pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels.

The AMHF has also encouraged men to take four actionable steps:

1. Stay Strong: by doing 40 push-ups
2. Reduce Waist Size
3. Staying Mentally Healthy
4. Get Regular Heart Health Checks

On July 20, the Albanese government launched new cardiovascular disease guidelines for clinicians on the early detection, assessment, and management of cardiovascular disease risk.

These new guidelines are expected to impact the care of around eight million Australians who are currently affected by cardiovascular disease.

“Cardiovascular disease puts immense strain on patients, their families, the health system, and costs Australia more than $12.7 billion each year,” according to federal health minister Mark Butler’s media release.

“Every day, 117 Australians die from this disease. The new guidelines will help medical professionals across the country to provide earlier detection and treatment for the disease, bringing new hope and help to thousands of Australians,” Mr. Butler said.

Addressing Chronic Conditions to Improve Health Outcomes

According to the federal government’s national health strategy 2020-2030, seven conditions—coronary heart disease (CHD), cerebrovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, bowel cancer and lung cancer, dementia, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)—contribute to almost half of all adult male deaths.

As such, the need to promote healthy lifestyle choices and to decrease health risk factors, including smoking, overweight and obesity, physical inactivity, and poor dietary choices, has been identified as a health measure Australians can address to decrease their burden of disease.

In addition to mental health conditions, Dr. Campbell said not addressing these chronic health issues in men can lead to relationship breakdowns, high-risk behaviours, illicit drug use, antisocial behaviours, and unemployment.

“These statistics are concerning because poor health outcomes for men ultimately impact all of society. It can have a detrimental impact economically, with family relationships, and general stability of society,” Dr. Campbell said.

“These are things that can be addressed and be better managed to result in improved health outcomes and wellbeing of our male population.”

The Federal Health Minister’s Department has been approached for comment.