Shine SA: Positive Images Of Men's Health Pilot Project

"It is important to build an environment that communicates to target males that they are welcomed..."

Based On Male-Inclusive Practices

Many successful male health programs have included proactive steps to make men feel at home and welcomed in the practice.  It is important to build an environment that communicates to target males that they are welcomed, that their needs have been considered and that the service is ready to cater to their needs.

This project included provision of positive images of males, with artworks produced by a local school. The images consisted of positive role models of males such as fathers and children, enjoying sport, and similar settings.

Family Inclusiveness and Bringing It To The Blokes

The project was launched at the children's school and this was again a useful step.  Being in a familiar environment, the mobile display could get men, their partners and their children talking about healthy and positive male involvement in an environment that was non-threatening, familiar and not directed purely at health.

Learnings For Health Practitioners

Important messages to take from this project include:

• Find ways to be creative about creating environments that support men's engagement and interaction with health or other 'sensitive' topics.  Creating places that get men thinking about their favourite hobbies, fun topics, family or other positive topics can be a patheway to then engage them in health and services.
• Build male-inclusive practices into your service - this can include display of positive images of fathers and male role models, ensuring to include men as well as women in communications and registry details and taking a broad approach to engaging with men in health services.