A Primary Health Care Approach to Men's Health in Community Health Settings: It's Just Better Practice

Abstract

Promoting men's health in primary care settings such as general practice is now common, but what might primary health care for men's health look like in community health settings? This paper reports on case studies of diverse community-based health and wellbeing services for men in South Australia. The programs selected as case studies include Aboriginal men, gay men and homosexually active men, men from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, older men, middle-aged men, fathers, young men, as well as services that focus on childhood sexual abuse and violence intervention. The case studies share the following main features - they have a social view of health, use a primary health care approach with an emphasis on prevention, address issues of access and equity, use social justice principles, and work across a number of sectors. These features were integrated into a socially just primary health care framework for men's health in community health settings. Socially just primary health care can address health inequities within men's health that are related to, among other things, class, race, ethnicity and sexuality. Socially just primary health care services can work collaboratively with women's health on common concerns such as violence intervention and childhood sexual abuse. Moreover, socially just primary health care services reflect local concerns, where health professionals work with men rather than acting as outside experts.