Movember Institute of Men’s Health new research space

By Movember

Suicide in men is a significant global public health concern. Research to understand male suicide and effective prevention approaches is important to prevent male suicide. The Movember Institute of Men’s Health has launched a new online space where they will be sharing insights from their research into men’s health, including suicide prevention.

Movember shares that despite advances in awareness, evidence building through research, and public health programming, men continue to face serious and persistent health challenges. Research has shown that men’s life expectancy averages 6.5 years less than that of women around the world, with global differences in years of life lost due to premature mortality totalling 330 million years annually. Suicide rates among men are significantly higher than women in most countries, with this gap widening to an average of 3.5 times in higher income countries.

Movember recognises the need for a dedicated, year-round focus on transforming men's health outcomes globally and has established the Movember Institute of Men’s Health. This Institute is a major investment from Movember, with the Institute’s mission to improve men’s health and, by doing so, contribute to a healthier world.

A key goal of the international Institute is to close the 'Know-Do' gap in men’s health. It is committed to fast-tracking the translation of evidence and insights, gained by listening to and learning from the lived experiences and needs of diverse groups of boys and men, into action. The Institute’s goals are to drive policy reform and systemic change through advocacy. It will co-invest in the scaling up of evidence-based initiatives and build capacity in local communities to promote men’s health where it is needed the most.

The Institute will invest in evidence building and developing the next generation of men’s health research leaders. Its research will focus on addressing the norms, systems and behaviours that impact boys' and men's health and wellbeing. From big data analyses of health system utilisation to in-depth qualitative work with men, the Institute will, in its first five years, focus on:

• Young men and their digital world (see report)
• Masculinity and help-seeking
• Gaming and esports in men’s health
• Relationship breakdown and health impacts for men
• Adapting health services and upskilling of healthcare practitioners to better respond to men and designing men’s health programs
• Men’s mental health and suicide and diagnosing depression in men, and
• The role of community sports in men’s health.

The Institute will achieve this through partnerships, by building and supporting collaborations between academic institutions and world leading researchers, healthcare providers, community organisations, and non-government and governmental agencies to create the momentum for change.

Access the Institute’s first advocacy reports Real Face of Men’s Health (Australia) and Real Face of Men’s Health (UK), with Canadian, New Zealand, Irish and US reports to be published in 2025.

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