Background: The health of mothers and babies is rightly prioritised within our health system, but men have needs as they seek to, and become fathers, that are often overlooked. Fertility specialists ...are well placed to empower men and support meaningful improvements in psychosocial health in the planning for and transition to fatherhood.
Aim: Healthy Male’s ‘Plus Paternal: a focus on fathers’ project sought to establish the current situation in Australia in relation to paternal health, and to identify opportunities for improvement.
Method: Evidence was gathered through surveys of men and health professionals, literature reviews, consultations and a review of national strategies and guidelines. This forms the ‘Plus Paternal Case for Change’1.
Results: Non-birthing parents, most commonly men, are poorly engaged by reproductive health services. They are often viewed as secondary to achieving pregnancy and child-rearing – welcome, but not active participants. There is no systematic approach to engage, recognise, or support their needs during this critical life transition. This leaves men feeling undervalued and overlooks their fertility and health needs, as well as their contribution to healthy pregnancies and families.
The ‘Plus Paternal Case for Change’ sets seven goals for change, calling for the collective efforts to challenge traditional stereotypes and to improve the experiences, psychosocial health of men and families. An increasing number of organisations have endorsed these goals and joined the Plus Paternal Network to progress meaningful change.
Conclusion: Policy, systems and practice-level changes are required to create a more inclusive health system — one that recognises the evolving roles, expectations and needs of both parents.
Fertility services are asked to reflect on their systems and practice, and to take steps to ensure that fathers and prospective fathers are proactively engaged and supported as equal parenting partners.
Objective and importance of the study: In Australia, preventable causes of morbidity and mortality are common among men. The National Men's Health Strategy 2021-2030 highlights the need to ...successfully engage men in disease prevention; hence, we aimed to examine the prevention priorities, attitudes and information sources reported by Australian men.Objective and importance of the study: In Australia, preventable causes of morbidity and mortality are common among men. The National Men's Health Strategy 2021-2030 highlights the need to successfully engage men in disease prevention; hence, we aimed to examine the prevention priorities, attitudes and information sources reported by Australian men.Population survey.STUDY TYPEPopulation survey.Men aged 18 years and over were recruited from the nationally representative Life in Australia panel. Participants completed an online survey that measured the prevention issues of greatest concern, attitudes to prevention behaviours and services, and the health information sources considered most useful.METHODSMen aged 18 years and over were recruited from the nationally representative Life in Australia panel. Participants completed an online survey that measured the prevention issues of greatest concern, attitudes to prevention behaviours and services, and the health information sources considered most useful.Among 1282 respondents, mental health issues, followed by those pertaining to chronic disease and relationships, were rated of highest concern. Weight management, physical activity, and fruit and vegetable consumption were most often considered as important for personal health. Being 65 years and older and having adequate health literacy were strongly associated with positive attitudes towards prevention practices. More than three-quarters of men rated their doctor as the most useful information source, followed by health websites, internet searching, and their partner.RESULTSAmong 1282 respondents, mental health issues, followed by those pertaining to chronic disease and relationships, were rated of highest concern. Weight management, physical activity, and fruit and vegetable consumption were most often considered as important for personal health. Being 65 years and older and having adequate health literacy were strongly associated with positive attitudes towards prevention practices. More than three-quarters of men rated their doctor as the most useful information source, followed by health websites, internet searching, and their partner.Psychological and social issues are of high concern to men, and their attitudes toward preventive behaviours and services often do not align with public health recommendations. Understanding the topics of greatest concern to men and their preferred sources of information can inform communication and engagement strategies to improve health-related practices among men.CONCLUSIONSPsychological and social issues are of high concern to men, and their attitudes toward preventive behaviours and services often do not align with public health recommendations. Understanding the topics of greatest concern to men and their preferred sources of information can inform communication and engagement strategies to improve health-related practices among men.
With men currently reporting an increased desire to manage their own health, this mixed-methods study aimed to identify the preferred communication channels to support their access to information. ...Adult cisgender men (n=410) completed an anonymous survey that assessed current methods, preferences and barriers to accessing health information for general, minor, serious and private health concerns. Seven focus groups, attended by 69 men, further explored health-seeking behaviour. Survey results demonstrated the top methods to access information were through the GP or specialist and online searches, with rates differing by age and the type of health concern. Most men (>85%) reported information-seeking for serious concerns, while ~30% did not seek information for minor or private issues. For all ages, the top preferred methods for accessing information included GP or specialists, online searches and pharmacists, with other preferences varying by age, severity and sensitivity. Analysis of the focus group discussions revealed five key themes that help explain men's decisions and actions about seeking health-information: (i) denial; (ii) delayed information seeking; (iii) social constructs of masculinity; (iv) difficulty initiating discussions about health; and (v) perceived trust and validity of information. This study has provided insight into how information can be tailored to communicate effectively with men of different ages. This will support appropriate health-seeking behaviours in response to minor, serious and private health concerns.
Approximately 1 in 20 men are sub-fertile or infertile yet the aetiologies of male infertility remain largely unexplained. It is suggested that lifestyle choices and environmental factors contribute ...but research is limited. In particular, no study has evaluated early life exposures and subsequent male infertility. To address this knowledge gap, this study aims to characterise a cohort of men with idiopathic infertility and compare their general health, lifestyle choices and environmental exposures from teenage years onwards to men without reproductive abnormalities.
Two groups of men (N = 500 cases; N = 500 controls), matched for age and socio-economic status, will be recruited from fertility clinics around Australia between June 2021 and June 2024. Men will be eligible if they are between 18 and 50 years, with a female partner less than 42 years, and have identified idiopathic male infertility (case) or are part of a couple with diagnosed female factor infertility but with no indication of compromised male fertility (control). Participants will complete an in-depth survey on general health, lifestyle and environmental exposures, reporting from teenage years onwards. An online medical data capture form will be used to gather fertility assessment information from participant medical records. Biological specimens of saliva (all study participants), blood and urine (optional) will be collected and stored for future genetic and epigenetic analysis. Differences in outcome measures between cases and controls will be determined using appropriate between groups comparisons. The relationship between explanatory variables and infertility will be analysed using multilevel modelling to account for clustering within fertility clinics.
This study addresses an important gap in research on the aetiology of male infertility and will provide a comprehensive profile of the lifestyle and environmental risk factors for male infertility, leading to provision of up-to-date health advice for male teenagers and adults about optimising their fertility.
Background: A four-stream research program, Men and Infertility over the Lifecourse, is funded by the MRFF to address the medical, personal and social cost of idiopathic male infertility. This ...program includes a national case control study: AMIE. Designing and implementing AMIE poses both opportunities and challenges.
