Tasmanian men are some of the most health averse in the country, according to a new report.
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A national survey, conducted by health retailer Healthy Life, revealed nearly 10 per cent of male respondents hadn’t seen a health professional for more than two years.
Tasmanian men were the most health averse, with 12.5 per cent of respondents from the state saying they hadn’t been to a health care professional in the past decade.
The figure was nearly double the results for woman, at 4.8 per cent, with men aged between 35 and 44 the worst offenders at nearly 18 per cent.
For men aged 18 to 24, almost 11 per cent said they hadn’t been to a health care professional in more than two years.
With the survey results released during Movember – an initiative aimed at changing the face of men’s health – Australian Medical Association Tasmania branch president John Davis said positive steps were being made to address the issue.
“We know men in general, are less likely to seek health advice full stop,” he said.
“It is usually just a case of men being men, and the old – she’ll be right mentality.
“This is a really important conversation we need to be having as a community.
“I think initiatives like Movember and government initiatives aimed at raising awareness are positive.
“We need to be trying to prevent disease, and one of the best ways to do that is to get in early.”
In other news:
According to the survey health care visits increased with age, with 82 per cent of men aged between 55 and 64, and 95 per cent of men aged over 65 saying they had seen a health care professional in the past six months.
This decreased to between 67 per cent and 71 per cent for younger age groups.
In comparison, more than 80 per cent of women of all ages had sought health advice in the past six months.
Mr Davis said it was important for people of all ages to regularly visit a GP, especially those getting older.
“We are fairly dispersed as a state – we are also older, generally sicker and less literate,” he said.
“But these are all things we are working on.
“We just need to continue the conversation.”
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Jessica Willard
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
