An epidemic of silence: Research reveals Kiwi men letting down their mates when it comes to health issues

• Many men are only comfortable talking to their partner or doctor about health issues, only 52% of men feel comfortable telling a close friend about a health issue compared with 70% of women

• A third of men only go to the doctor when they have a serious issue, potentially missing out on lifesaving preventative health care

New research from the Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ reveals many Kiwi men are only talking to their partner or doctor about health conditions compared with women, who talk with a broader range of people including family members, close friends and colleagues.

This month is the foundation’s annual fundraiser, Blue September, with hopes Blue Dos up and down the country will provide vital wrap around services for the 42,000 men and their whānau living with prostate cancer.

Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ CE Peter Dickens says the research echoes the experiences and conversations they see surrounding prostate cancer in Aotearoa every day.

“This epidemic of silence around Kiwi men and their health is absolutely leading to worsening outcomes. Easily treatable conditions if caught early like prostate cancer, are being missed because men are not being proactive or open about their health,” he says.

“We know that many men are staying silent when it comes to talking about prostate cancer in terms of their symptoms, experiences and family history and that must change.”

“If you’re over 50, a simple annual blood test to check your PSA levels is all that’s needed these days, or over 40 if you have a family history of prostate cancer. Yet not enough men are doing this.”

The foundation is calling for a national coordinated programme to identify prostate cancer and more advanced treatment options. Peter says there’s a noticeable imbalance in play considering a national screening programme for breast cancer has been in place since 1998, yet nothing exists for prostate cancer.

“What we also see is less advocacy and mobilisation by men for change and even the type of prostate cancer treatments we have in New Zealand are several generations behind what’s available in Australia, that’s despite it being New Zealand’s most diagnosed cancer,” Peter says.

“This is in some part, related to the stigma and silence by men that surrounds prostate cancer,” he says.

The research conducted in partnership with the Prostate Cancer Foundation NZ, InsightsHQ and Coeus Consulting, surveyed over 500 people aged over 40 across New Zealand.