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December 2005

National firsts take public health awards

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Minister Pike and Victorian Public Health Awards winners.

Older Australian men are still having sex, Colac kids are defying obesity and the first indigenous branded condom has become a hit among rural Aboriginal communities.

Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said these were just a few of the stories to come out of the Victorian Public Health Awards ceremony.

One of the highlights of the awards presentation was Australia's first study into the sexual health of men aged over 40—dubbed MATeS (Men in Australia Telephone Survey), which won the innovation award for research.

'For the first time we have a snapshot of sexual health issues affecting Australian men that is not based on overseas studies,' Ms Pike said.

The study showed more than one-third of Australian men aged over 40 suffer from prostate, impotence or urinary tract problems and also revealed 64 per cent of older Aussie men were overweight.

The MATeS survey showed 37 per cent of men aged over 70 years have had sexual relations in the past year with several 87-year-olds reporting they still had regular sex.

Ms Pike said the study contradicted many common stereotypes about older men being asexual and highlighted that the sexual health of men into older age is a serious health issue.

'This groundbreaking study shows that men who feel isolated or embarrassed about sexual health issues are not alone,' Ms Pike said.

'They have a lot to gain by discussing reproductive health problems with their GP.'

In the programs award category, a surveillance program of gay men testing for HIV and a campaign to shock women aged over 40 into getting regular pap smear tests were joint winners of the excellence award.

The innovation award was taken out by the SNAKE condoms initiative that used an indigenous-branded condom to educate rural indigenous communities about safe sex practices.

Programs promoting healthy eating and living in Colac (Be Active Eat Well) and across Glen Eira (Taste 4 Health) took out awards in the spotlight category of the awards, while a study into the health of Australian Gulf War veterans gained an excellence award in the research category.

 

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State Government Victoria

Updated 7 December 2005

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