Mates are good for men's health. Having high-quality, close relationships and feeling socially connected to the people in our life, reduces the risk of poor health and increases life expectancy. The opposite is also true - lack of social connection is bad for men's health. 

That's why we refer to "social connection" as one of the key social factors that shape men's health in our Framework For A Healthier Future (A Conceptual Framework For Taking Action To Improve Men And Boys' Health). 

NB: This article was first published in October 2018 and refers to the draft Men's Health Strategy. It has not been updated to reflect the final version of the National Men's Strategy launched on 11 April 2019. 

The Government’s new Men’s Health Strategy shows that Australia continues to lead the world when it comes to improving men’s health. Australia is one of the world’s healthiest societies and ranks in the top 10 for life expectancy worldwide

Prime Minister Scott Morrison will make a National Apology to survivors and victims of sex abuse in institutions, the majority of them men. The Apology follows a Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sex Abuse and applies to all victims and survivors, their families and supporters and acknowledges that more needs to be done to prevent and protect children from sexual abuse in institutions.

Last week was World Mental Health Day (Wednesday 10th October) and we asked some of our colleagues in the men's health sector to share their thoughts on men's mental health with us. Here's what Professor John Macdonald from the Men's Health Information and Resource Centre had to say:

Sleep Awareness Week (1-7 October 2017), provides a great opportunity to start a conversation about dads and sleep. If you are wondering why it’s important for people in dads’ lives to talk to them about sleep, here are three good reasons:

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) has launched a male-friendly health prevention service that’s taking off in South Australia.

Best known for its emergency retrievals, RFDS is also involved in primary and preventative health and its medical teams have begun targeting outback events like rodeos to promote men’s health.

The resources we invest in suicide prevention need to take account of the differences between men and women, according to Australia’s peak body for men’s health, the Australian Men’s Health Forum (AMHF).

The call for “gender inclusive” suicide prevention strategies comes as Government figures revealed that the number of men and women taking their own lives in Australia rose by nearly 10% in 2017.

Australia is lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to supporting men to be involved fathers, according to new report for the Parents At Work campaign.

Our experiences of fatherhood are one of the key social factors that shape men’s health (see our Framework For A Healthier Future) and “The System” plays a significant role in shaping men’s experiences of being a dad.

The gender gap that boys experience in reading and writing is more than twice the size of the gap experienced by girls in mathematics, according to new research from Griffith University.

The findings suggest we need to improve the way schools educate boys and do more to encourage a love of reading, writing and verbal expression in boys, according to the lead researcher.

Conversations about improving men’s health often focus on how to get men to talk and how to encourage men to get help. A new report from the UK turns this conversation on its head by offering best practice advice to nurses on ways to talk with men about health issues, as well as providing guidance to nurses on how to deliver effective health services to men.