Taking a can-do approach to men’s health

As Men’s Health Week draws to a close this weekend (9-15 June, 2025), Australian Men’s Health Forum CEO Glen Poole is urging people to continue thinking about what Men’s Health is and to focus on one thing that will make a positive difference.

“Dealing with illness is one element, but what keeps us well and healthy in the first place?” Glen told podcaster Tim Ryan, from Palliative and Supportive Care Education (PaSCE), a part of Cancer Council WA.

Instead of asking, ‘Why don’t men get help?’ or ‘Why are women better at it?’ Glen emphasised a strength-based approach, focusing on what men can do to look after their health.

“Rather than constantly focus on what men are not doing, we like to get people thinking about, ‘What are you already doing, and how can you do more of it, and how can we help and support the men in our lives to do a little bit more of those things that keep us healthy,’” he reiterated in the Men’s Health Matters podcast with Brent Bultitude.

Each year, 50 Aussie blokes a day die of preventable causes before the age of 75. And while Australia is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, the poorest 20% of men are three to four times more likely to die than the richest 20%. “Good health is not being shared equally across all of society. Men are particularly impacted by that.”

Download the Know Your Man Facts Toolkit: 10 Things We All Need To Know About Men’s Health

Glen said it was common for people to think of health as being about smoking, drinking and exercise, “which is important, but we also want people to think about how we build healthy communities, healthy families, healthy workplaces, healthy societies for men and boys too.”

Mental health was closely linked to physical health, he told Brent Bultitude. “We know that if you improve your mental health, it will reduce your risk of heart disease for example. If your physical health’s not good, it impacts your mental health. The better our mental health, the better our physical health. The two are closely linked.”

A huge factor in men and boys’ health are shaped by social factors (or determinants), such as our experiences of childhood, fatherhood, education, work, finances and relationships. “What can we do at a collective and cultural level to improve the health and wellbeing of men?” Glen asked.

One way is to normalise conversations around certain topics where stereotypes and stigma prevail.

“Stigma does not just live within the individual. It is something we create collectively,” said Glen. “How do we get better at listening to men, and of giving help?

“You don’t have to fix the solution. We can ask other men how they are doing and listen. Let them get it off their chest.”

He urged men to become aware of what works for them to keep well … and to do more of it.

“When you are struggling, the first thing you can drop is doing the things you normally do to feel well.”

“Instead of focus on what men don’t do, let’s focus on what men can do to look after their health.”

He also encouraged men of all ages to ‘know their numbers’ – in particular blood pressure, body mass index (BMI), blood sugar and cholesterol. “Whatever age you are, start to know what your numbers are. What parts of your health are not travelling too well, and what parts you need to start to improve,” Glen said.

Catch up on Glen Poole’s interviews with:

Tim Ryan from PaSCE podcast
Brent Bultitude, Men’s Health Matters