It has always seemed odd that Australians are so complacent about the fact that, on average, Aussie blokes will die almost five years earlier than their sheilas. This disparity has not improved in more than a century, despite all the medical and social advances made in that time.
The major explanation for the mortality gap is that, for many medical conditions, men have higher incidences and higher death rates than women.
For example, heart disease is much more prevalent in men because they are more likely to smoke, be overweight, drink excessive levels of alcohol and have high cholesterol levels. Men aged 40-74 years are twice as likely as women of the same age to die from heart disease.
Men are also more likely to die of lung cancer, colorectal cancer and melanoma. Although the prevalence of depression is higher in females, the mortality rate from suicide is much higher in males than females, especially in rural and remote areas.
Despite having the odds stacked against them, men are less likely to use GPs' services than women. Almost one in four males haven't seen a doctor in 12 months, compared with one in 10 females.
One of the main reasons is a reluctance to seek help until symptoms become undeniable and so men are most likely to present to a GP with a specific problem that may be unrelated to other potential health problems.
It is often argued that the principal reason for the low health status of men is that they are not interested in their health to the same extent as women, but there is evidence suggesting that men are indeed interested in their health and related services if they are offered such services in an appropriate, male-oriented manner.
Health Minister Nicola Roxon has committed to developing a national men's health policy that will focus on reducing barriers for men accessing health services, tackle the reticence men have about seeking treatment, and make health services more male-friendly.
Most responses to men's health needs within primary care have focused on a medical model, such as inviting men to visit their GP and attend surgeries for screening.
This approach attracts the worried well and health-conscious but rarely reaches men who are at greatest risk. It also relies on men having jobs that enable them to get to a GP's surgery during opening hours.
We need to look to alternative approaches that take services to where men work and play in the company of their peers, and use these peers and male role models to encourage the recalcitrants to be more proactive about accessing preventive and screening health services.
The provision of these services, and information about others, should be done by trained people in locations and a language that are not intimidating, but encourage discussion of ''unmentionable'' topics such as bowel and testicular problems, depression and thoughts of suicide, drug use and binge drinking.
Most likely, that means user-friendly advice and testing from a male nurse or a paramedic working in non-medical environments sports clubs, gyms, workplaces, even pubs.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service's on-the-road program in Western Australia offers a great model. This program takes a truck to remote communities, and sets up shop at race days, mine sites and pastoral stations to offer men a ''pit stop'' where they can learn to keep their bodies roadworthy.
The aim is to get men to think about their body as they would a car and to look after it, put good fuel in it, and every now and then take it in for a check-up before it breaks down.
This service has been working successfully for blokes in the bush since 2004, with some help from industry sponsors.
There's no reason why it wouldn't work just as well in metropolitan Melbourne, suburban Canberra or regional Toowoomba.
Dr Russell is the Menzies Foundation Fellow at the Menzies Centre for Health Policy, University of Sydney/Australian National University.
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