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 40dubbed 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.