Dispelling the belief that men are not interested in their health
Despite the well known shorter life span of men compared with women,1 strategies to raise awareness of the burden of disease in men — such as social population health approaches2 — have only recently emerged. While men’s increased risk of disorders such as atherosclerotic vascular disease is well known, there has been little focus on male reproductive health — the emerging specialty of andrology. In particular, the prevalence of disorders such as prostate disease, lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), erectile dysfunction, androgen deficiency and male infertility have been poorly defined.
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Professors Rob McLachlan, Robert Cumming, Gary Wittert, Marian Pitts and David Handelsman (members of the Andrology Australia Longitudinal Study group) all contributed to the design, implementation and analysis of the Men in Australia Telephone Survey (MATeS). Their input is gratefully acknowledged.