Research finds only three per cent of men eat enough fruit and vegetables

And there are other alarming stats, too

The health of Australian men needs some serious work. Image: Getty

New research has found the health of Australian men is in serious strife, with nearly half affected by preventable chronic conditions.

The statistics around the state of men's health in Australia are alarming, and as it turns out, a lot of it is preventable, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare claims in a recent study.

From not eating enough fruit and veg, to only a few making regular visits to the GP, it's safe to say there's a bit of work to be done by our blokes to improve their health. 

Only three per cent of men eat the recommended intake of fruit and vegetables and more worryingly, 49 per cent suffer from at least one of the top 10 chronic conditions including diabetes, asthma, cancer, arthritis and heart disease.

What's more, three-quarters of men (75 per cent) are currently overweight or obese, which makes the fact that 58 per cent of men rated their health as either 'excellent' or 'very good' slightly confusing.

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"What masculinity tends to refer to and mean in the Australian context, at least from a traditional standpoint, is norms around self-reliance, independence and being a protector and provider, and none of these interacts very nicely with being a help-seeker," Dr Zac Seidler, a clinical psychologist explained to HCF.

"There's a large amount of stigma and a sense of weakness and vulnerability that comes with help-seeking rather than just getting on with it," he said, adding, "There is a direct link between not seeing your doctor and your life expectancy being much earlier in men in Australia."

This isn't without consequences either. Premature deaths account for 40 per cent of all male deaths compared to only 27 per cent of female deaths, which was no doubt not helped by the fact that 21 per cent of men did not see a doctor throughout the whole year of 2021-22.

Lifestyle choices also played a part, with twice as many men (27 per cent) exceeding more than 10 standard drinks per week compared to women (13 per cent), not to mention they’re more likely to smoke.

Eating a balanced diet is just the start when it comes to maintaining good health. Image: iStock

So how do we get our men to pay more attention to their health? Well, it involves more than grabbing an apple for morning tea.

"We need to have real experiences where men are speaking to other men – their mates or their family members – about the doctor they saw or the psychologist they saw, and how it went and what happened," Dr Seidler insisted. 

"It's about open communication rather than making help-seeking a really solitary and silent, frightening experience. Men are much better at communicating about their health, emotions and wellbeing than we allow them and give them credit for."

Originally published as Research finds only three per cent of men eat enough fruit and vegetables