Men's Cases: Lifestyle Choices and the Impact on Health and Wellbeing (Nurses)

This course focuses on lifestyle choices including smoking and alcohol and the health impacts of these behaviours on health and wellbeing. The course outlines the impact of obesity and the sedentary lifestyle and how these increase the risk of elevated blood lipids, coronary artery disease and peripheral vascular disease. Statistics on insurance claims highlight the health and monetary costs of poorer lifestyle choices. Unit one explores how this behaviour can be prevented and reduce health costs. Statistics on smoking, alcohol and methamphetamine use are presented including the related illnesses that may be caused by these lifestyle choices. Four case studies are profiled including how a medical practitioner can work with patients to encourage positive lifestyle choices. Information and tools on the best approaches to support lifestyle choices are a feature of this course.  

This course is evidence-based, demonstrates best practice and is regularly updated.

Relevance to Nurses:

In Australia, there remains a disparity between the health of men and women. Australian men are less healthy than Australian women, dying nearly five years earlier than their female counterparts, especially in the 25–65 years age group – the main working period of men’s lives.

In 2014, the median age at death was 78.5 years for non-Indigenous men compared to 84.8 years for non-Indigenous women, and this shorter life expectancy occurred when measured across every age group. The health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men is worse than any other subgroup in Australia. The reasons for this excess morbidity and mortality are complex and multifactorial (refer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health core skills unit [AH16] for more detail). Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men born between 2010 and 2012 can expect to live to 69.1 years compared to 79.9 for their non-Indigenous counterparts.