Australian men will, on average, live four-and-a-half years less than their female counterparts, and the last 11 of those years will be in poor health.
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But it doesn't have to be that way.
This week is international Men's Health Week, and this year the emphasis is on males of all ages facing up to facts and helping themselves, with the theme 'keeping boys and men healthy.'
From the day they are born, boys suffer more illness, more accidents and die earlier than their female counterparts, although a local GP with over 40 years experience said "it is time for a change of mindset."
Dr Steve Howle OAM said: "how much time and money do men spend having their cars checked and serviced? Why don't they care for themselves that much?"
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Dr Howle spent 43 years as a Tamworth GP, and in that time noticed that men are not as engaged as women in preventative health.
"It seems to be this in-built thing that they won't go to the GP until someone has to drag them off the floor," he said.
"Women are much more likely to get a yearly check-up, or to have preventative diseases checked.
"No one else can do it, men have to do it for themselves."
In Australia men are far more likely to die from suicide, heart disease, skin cancer and liver disease just to name a few, but a few simple changes could make all the difference.
"Get regular check-ups, particularly for anything that you have a family history of, or have shown risk factors for," Dr Howle said.
"Physical activity and a reasonable diet will benefit the risk and treatment of almost all diseases, and have much less side effects than any drug - shut your mouths, stand up and walk."
While a change in lifestyle may sound simple, history shows that men are likely to fail and revert back to their former ways if they go too hard, too soon.
"Just pick one thing up at a time and look to improve it - be really simple with it," Dr Howle said.
"Start doing a bit more exercise, look to drink a little bit less, think about quitting smoking, or make a change to your diet.
"These things won't cost you any more money - most of them are free.
"You won't see immediate benefits, and is not sexy, but you will get better results."
Men's Health Week provides a platform for challenging and debating key issues in men's health and to raise the profile of men, their health outcomes and health needs around the country.
"It is a celebration of men, with a side of health."
