NT report card highlights major gaps in men’s health
The state of men’s health in the Northern Territory is lagging behind women’s health, according to a new report published today during the Men’s Health Forum in Darwin.
The Northern Territory Men’s Health Report Card 2019 published by the Australian Men’s Health Forum (AMHF) highlights a number of areas of concern including the fact that men in the NT are dying three years (3.1) younger than women on average.
The report draws on most recent data from a range of government sources and states:
- Three in four heart disease deaths under 65 are men
- Three in four suicides are men
- Four out of five road deaths are male
- Five out of six workplace deaths are men
- Boys are twice as likely NOT to complete Year 12 compared with the national average
- The number of men not in the labour force has risen by nearly 190% since 1978.
AMHF, the national peak body for men’s health, is calling on the NT Government to invest more time, money and resources into improving the lives and health of men and boys.
Jonathan Bedloe, President of AMHF said:
“This report card on the state of men and boys’ health in the Northern Territory tells us we must do better. Our sons are less educated than our daughters. Our brothers die younger than our sisters. Our fathers are more likely to die at work than our mothers. Our male friends are more likely to die by suicide than our female friends.
“The solution to these problems is not to stop working to improve the lives of women and girls, but to increase our efforts to tackle the issues facing men and boys. This means investing more time, money and resources into helping health services become more male-friendly and focused on the needs of men and boys.
“It also means looking at the wider social factors that shape men’s health, which include boys’ education, our experiences of fatherhood, our working lives, our financial wellbeing and our social connections.”
When compared with other states and territories, the NT was ranked in 8th place for men’s health behind the ACT (1st), Victoria (2nd), New South Wales (3rd), South Australia (4th), Western Australia (5th), Queensland (6th), Tasmania (7th)
Glen Poole, CEO of AMHF said:
“The National Men’s Health Strategy calls on governments at all levels to address the unique needs of men and boys through their policies, programs and services. To date, just two States have developed a men’s health strategy and most Government initiatives to improve our physical and mental health aren’t specifically targeted at men and boys.
“The statistics uncovered in our report on the current state of male health in the NT demonstrate that there is much work still to do. It’s time for the NT Government to take better care of men and boys’ health by developing a statewide men’s health policy.
“The best way to achieve this is by working closely with the men’s health sector in the NT which has a proud history of working to improve the lives and health of men and boys.
The NT Men’s Health Report Card 2019 was launched at the Men’s Health Forum at the Michael Long Learning and Leadership Centre during the presentation of the NT Men’s Health Awards, which celebrates the work being done for men and boys in the region.
The event is delivered in partnership with the Darwin Indigenous Men’s Service. The NT Men’s Health Awards will be chosen from a shortlist of eight entries.
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Download The NT Men's Health Report Card
View all other state and territory report cards including the national men's health report card 2019