Statistics have shown that Australian male life expectancy is 79 years, ranked fourth among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The OECD member countries average is 76.3 years.

"By international standards, Australia is doing very well in terms of male life expectancy," said AIHW Director David Kalisch.

"This can at least in part be attributed to the positive lifestyle choices made by many Australian men: about two-thirds of males participate in sport or physical activity, and rates of smoking continue to decline," AIHW Director David Kalisch added.

Testicular and prostate cancer survival rates are also improving. This improvement may be attributed to better screening, earlier detection and improved treatment.

While Australia appears to show significant improvements in health and life expectancy, statistics presented in the report, The Health of Australia's Males, released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in June 2011, show that there are many areas where Australian men could be doing more to protect and improve their health.

"Just 5% of adult males consume enough fruit and vegetables and about two-thirds of adult males and one-quarter of boys (aged 5-17 years) are overweight or obese,' Mr Kalisch said.

About a quarter of Australian male population have disability and a significant one third appears to be having chronic health condition.

Men do not frequently avail of health services but are over-represented in other aspects. Australian men make fewer GP visits compared to women. Only around 40% of them take time out to discuss healthy lifestyle with health professionals. Around 16% of them do not avail of any Medicare services at all. However, a bigger proportion of emergency admissions are by men.

"Despite the gains that have been achieved, many Australian men are still at risk, with 4% rating their health as poor," Mr Kalisch added.

The report, Population differences in health-care use for arthritis and osteoporosis in Australia, released this August 2011 by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), seems to further affirm the previous findings regarding male's attitude towards health care.

Women were found to be more likely than men to seek treatment for osteoporosis and osteoarthritis. Furthermore, the report highlights the fact that when it comes to managing osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, the level of inaction is significantly higher for men than women.

"This inaction includes not visiting a health professional, taking medications or making lifestyle changes," said AIHW spokesperson Dr Adrian Webster.

Osteoporosis may simply be described as porous bone that leads to increased risk for fracture. Primary osteoporosis is most common among women after menopause. Secondary osteoporosis appears both to men and women.

Osteoarthritis also known as degenerative arthritis or degenerative joint disease may affect both men and women and the most common form of arthritis. Osteoarthritis occurs when cartilage in joints wears down over time.

Despite the tendency for the disease to be more severe in women, the rate of surgical joint replacement among those with osteoarthritis or osteoporosis was lower for women than men. The lack of action in the early onset of the disease progression often would result in men requiring more drastic interventions like surgical joint replacement.

The Australian Government launched the National Male Health Policy in May 2010, to provide a framework for improving the health of men in Australia.