6th National Rural Health Conference
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Australian Men's Health Program adopted in Canada

Bernard J. Denner

The Men's Awareness Network (MAN) which began developing programs for men in Castlemaine back in 1994, and now nationally recognised as the Centre for Advancement of Men's Health (CAMH), initiated its Programs in Canada in May this year.

The North Okanagan Regional Health Service, a rural health region in the British Columbia Province of Canada adopted the MAN Model Health Promotion Program, based on the success of the men's health programs in Australia, developed by Bernard Denner, Projects Manager of the Centre for Advancement of Men's Health.

"Health promotion programs in Canada have focused on a variety of issues and target groups including women, children, aboriginal people, visible minorities and the economically disadvantaged; but there have been few programs developed specifically for men. Most people here assume that men, by virtue of their economic advantages in society, must be correspondingly healthy. Those of us who look at health statistics know, however that being male is a risk factor for premature mortality from infancy through to old age.

There is increasing recognition of this issue, but little yet in the way of programming. I was most impressed with what I saw taking place at CAMH during my visit to Australia last year," said Dr David Bowering, MHSc., Medical Health Officer, North Okanagan Health Region.

Male Health Statistics for Canada are very similar to Australia. The life expectancy of the average Australian Male is 76.2 years of age and for Males in North Okanagan it is 76.3.

Australian Men's Health Programs are well regarded overseas and the adoption of the MAN Model is a recognition of how far advanced Men's Health Programs are in Australia. Men's Health has come a long way since the 1st National Men's Health Conference in Melbourne in 1994. It is in a small way responsible for the development, profile and focus of men's health as we know it today.

This Poster shares the results of our work in Canada, the similarities and how effectively the program can work across all boundaries, including international ones. Australia has a lot to offer the world with its innovative ways in tackling men's health, especially in our vast spaces of the outback.

Programs under the Man Model of health promotion have attracted over 10,500 men around Australia. In British Columbia Canada over 1070 participants attended sessions for GPs (Family Doctors), Health Workers/ Teachers, Adolescents and men and women in the community.

Bernard Denner the founder of CAMH is committed to highlighting the value of providing all men with an opportunity to deal with their health issues and practice early intervention by taking advantage of the existing health system. When men are given this direction in their environment they embrace the opportunity which is highlighted by the numbers who have attended men's health sessions across Australia and in Canada in recent years. Our research indicates

Mannet.com.au

The website of the Centre for Advancement of Men's Health (CAMH) and the Men's Awareness Network (MAN).
Mannet was developed to share the facts, findings, outcomes and provide the Health Industry with information on CAMH Programs and contacts with other organizations involved in male health. The site provides access to overseas organizations to the findings, research and outcomes of the CAMH Programs and was an influence in the decision for an invitation to Canada

The site attracts on average over 87,000 hits and 5,250 sessions per month with site time in excess of 140hours per month. Canadian sessions on the site have increased by 5% since the visit and recently we instituted a CAMH Membership program to provide resources and information to clients who have an interest in advancing male health programs in their area.