Why do Australian men die early?

It's a well-known fact that men's life expectancy is lower than women's. But did you know that many men are dying prematurely, often from preventable illnesses?

The Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health at the University of Adelaide has urged men to consider the facts about their health and do something about it.

Male life expectancy is 78 years - five years lower than that for women (83 years).

"The fact is, men are more likely to die prematurely from a wide range of causes, and male deaths are greater across all age groups," said Professor Villis Marshall, Director of the Freemasons Foundation Centre for Men's Health.

"Premature deaths take a great emotional and economic toll on families and society."

The leading causes of premature death among Australian men are heart disease (eg heart attack and angina), suicide, vehicle accidents and lung cancer. Risk factors such as being overweight or obese, not getting any or sufficient exercise, and depression are all major contributors to men's shorter life expectancy.

"The great problem is that there is a significant burden of undetected disease among men," said Professor Gary Wittert, Head of the School of Medicine at the University of Adelaide and leader of the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study (FAMAS).

Preliminary results of FAMAS show that of the men aged 35-80 who participated in the study:

• 47% had high cholesterol, but 14% of them were unaware they had it;
  
• 14% had diabetes, but 4.4% were unaware;
  
• 60% had hypertension, but 29% were unaware;
  
• 18.5% had depression, but 6% were unaware.

Established in partnership with the Freemasons Foundation, the Centre for Men's Health is based at the University of Adelaide's School of Medicine. It is the first of its kind in Australia and one of only a handful of centres in the world with a focus on all aspects of men's health.

Story by Candy Gibson and David Ellis