For Australian men and women living in remote and very remote areas, access to healthcare can be extremely difficult due to the tyranny of distance, topography, infrastructure and higher costs according to Government reports.
A third of all Australian men and boys live outside of major metropolitan cities and are more likely to suffer worse physical and mental health outcomes.
My own experience working as a Remote Men’s Health Nurse opened my eyes to the inequities in accessing healthcare and support. The vast majority of male Indigenous patients I see in clinic only wanted to be seen by a male nurse – which can be problematic when over 88% of the Australian nursing workforce are females.
For these men, there is no choice on the gender of the practitioner they see, which research suggests can result in delayed help-seeking.
Remote Health Services
Health practitioners such as a physiotherapist, podiatrist, or a NDIS coordinator are relatively easy to access in metropolitan towns, however they are almost impossible to access when living in remote communities. This makes the management of men’s health much more problematic compared to living in a city where care coordination of diverse needs is required.
To gain an understanding of what people in these communities require, we need to first examine the statistics of mortality and morbidity for remote populations.
The following statistics listed below were accessed from the AIHW report– Rural and Remote Health.
Remote Demographic Breakdown
Around 7 million people – or 28% of the Australian population – live in rural and remote areas, which encompass many diverse locations and communities (ABS 2023h).
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are more likely to live in urban and regional areas compared with more remote areas. However, the proportion of the total First Nations population increases with remoteness from 1.9% in Major cities, to 32% in Remote and very remote areas based on estimated Indigenous population projections for 2021 (AIHW 2023k).
People living in regional areas are older than those in major cities where only 15.5% of people over 65 years reside.
Health Risks
1.Exceeded Lifetime Alcohol Risk Guidelines
2. Daily Smoking Intake
3. Insufficient Physical Activity
4. Overweight or Obese
(Source: AIHW; Rural and remote health, updated 2024)
Mortality in Remote Settings
People living in rural and remote areas are more likely to die at a younger age than their counterparts in Major cities.
They also have higher mortality rates and higher rates of potentially avoidable deaths than those living in Major cities.
In 2021, age-standardised mortality rates increased as remoteness increased for males and females. Compared with all of Australia:
- People living in Inner or Outer regional areas had a mortality rate 1.1 times as high.
- People living in Remote areas had a mortality rate 1.2 times as high.
- People living in Very remote areas had a mortality rate 1.5 times as high.
- Males had a higher mortality rate than females in all remoteness areas.
Family Violence in Remote Settings
Women living outside Major cities were 1.5 times as likely to have experienced partner violence than women living in Major cities (23% compared with 15%).
For Men living outside of Major cities, 6.6% experienced partner violence compared with 5.9% of men living in Major cities.
Chronic Conditions in Remote Settings
In 2022, based on self-reported data from the NHS and after adjusting for age, people living outside Major cities had higher rates of arthritis, and mental and behavioural conditions, while chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was higher in Outer regional and remote areas compared with Major cities.
Remote Men’s Health Challenge
Strengthening healthcare access for remote communities is an ongoing challenge for Health departments and Government. Telehealth has helped bridge the tyranny of distance somewhat- however building rapport via video-link is not for everyone.
Advocacy for specific men’s and women’s health clinics in remote areas of Australia is much needed, and incentivising medical workforces to work within these regions is an imperative.
Expert Opinion: Scott Peers, Emergency Department & Remote Area Nurse.
I have always found it a privilege to work in remote communities, but unfortunately behind the statistics are real people with real daily struggles.
As the article identified; males (especially Indigenous men) in remote settings can find it challenging to access health and community services due to the representation of female health practitioners and the cultural challenges they face in presenting for assessment and management.
Remote men’s health is often overlooked, but there are people working in that space who have a huge desire to provide these men with every opportunity to live longer, happier lives.
Real Men’s Health Takeaway
Healthy Male Australia have compiled a list of 4 men’s health services which are specifically designed for the rural or remote man. Click on the link to find out more.
