Dads in Distress Inc

Phone: 1300 853 437
Email: didsadmin@bigpond.com
Internet: www.dadsindistress.asn.au
Postal Address: PO Box 2333, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450, Australia

14 February 2007
The Australian

State of man: fat and depressed

AAP - Fat, diabetic and depressed - a new study of Australian men has painted a grim picture of the nation's disease burden.

Half of men aged 35 to 80 are officially overweight and a further 30 per cent are obese, leaving just 20 per cent in the "normal" range.

The South Australian study found that 16 per cent had the debilitating lifestyle disease, Type-2 diabetes, which is often triggered by long-term weight gain.

Twelve per cent were depressed, 9 per cent suffered from anxiety and the same proportion had asthma.

The study involved about 1200 Adelaide men who underwent rigorous health checks, but chief researcher Gary Wittert said the figures represented an alarming Australia-wide trend.

"Unfortunately, this is an accurate reflection of the burden of chronic physical and psychological disease in the whole country," said Professor Wittert, head of the University of Adelaide School of Medicine.

"Those rates are very high and indicate obesity could be behind so many of the problems that men suffer from."

The research also found a complex interplay between chronic disease and a man's personal and social situation.

Poorer men were more likely to be anxious, obese and diabetic than those who were wealthier, and depression was associated with income, employment and marital status.

"There's a clear relationship between social disadvantage and men doing poorly health-wise, which highlights the importance of special targeted strategies to prevent disease," Professor Wittert said.

Men were not taking heed of health warnings in the same way as women, he said. While most visited their doctor annually, it was usually for an incidental problem and not for basic health screening or disease detection.

"Australian men are dying earlier - often with preventable underlying conditions - and suffer higher rates of physical and psychological disease than women," Professor Wittert said.

"Together with the overall ageing population, this has serious implications for the community and economy."

The Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study, presented at a university symposium, also found that 6.5 per cent of men had angina, 10 per cent had osteoarthritis and 5 per cent suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. About one in 10 had had cancer at some stage in their life.

Latest figures on the health of Australian men Men (Factbox)

Latest figures on the health of Australian men aged 35 to 80, from the Florey Adelaide Male Ageing Study:

- More than 47 per cent of men are overweight and another 31.5 per cent are obese

- Only 19.9 per cent of men have a ``normal'' body weight

- About 16 per cent have type two diabetes

- Twelve per cent are depressed and nine per cent have anxiety

- Nine per cent suffer from asthma

- About 6.5 per cent of men have angina

- Ten per cent have osteoarthritis and five per cent have rheumatoid arthritis

- And 10.3 per cent of men have had cancer at some stage in their life

Dads In Distress is funded by the Australian Federal Government.