Tony O Brien
The University of New Castle, Australia
Title: Men s Preconception Health, Healthy Fathers, A Practice Nurse Approach
Biography
Biography: Tony O Brien
Abstract
This presentation addresses what practice nurses can do while working with men regarding preconception health improvement to become healthy fathers. Australian men live longer than previous years; however, they have not reached the levels of overall longevity that Australian women enjoy. Men have higher mortality rates for suicide, accidents and injury and higher mortality rates for the leading causes of death; tobacco smoking, hypertension, obesity, inactivity, cholesterol abnormality, and alcohol. Men are also vulnerable to the epigenetic effects on epigenomes that can potentially influence the transgenerational inheritance health of offspring during their lifetime. Australia’s first people, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (ATSI) men, continue to die well before non-indigenous men and also figure highly in mortality statistics for cancer, circulatory system disorders, respiratory disorders and endocrine and metabolic disorders. Wenitong (2002) argues in the context of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men that a tailored indigenous cultural approach is critical to improve Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men’s health. Many of the health problems that occur with indigenous and non-indigenous men are associated with preconception male health including, depression, alcohol abuse, COPD, diabetes and smoking-leading to health priority illnesses. This paper highlights men’s preconception health needs in the context of primary health care and what practice nurses can do to promote healthy male preconception behaviour.