Holden, C.Jolley, D.McLachlan, R.Pitts, M.Cumming, R.Wittert, G.Handelsman, D.De Kretser, D.2007-07-102007-07-102006Medical Journal of Australia, 2006; 185(8):418-4220025-729X1326-5377http://hdl.handle.net/2440/35691The document attached has been archived with permission from the editor of the Medical Journal of Australia. An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Objective: To identify sociodemographic factors associated with help-seeking behaviour for reproductive health disorders in middle-aged and older Australian men. Design: A cross-sectional, population-based, computer-assisted telephone interview exploring sociodemographic factors and general and reproductive health. Participants and setting: Analysis of data from the Men in Australia Telephone Survey (MATeS) of 5990 Australian men aged 40 years and older interviewed between September and December 2003. Main outcome measures: Self-reported diagnosis of prostate disease and erectile dysfunction (ED), help-seeking behaviour (including visiting a doctor, prostate-specific antigen testing, treatment of prostate disease, speaking to a health professional about ED and treatment of ED). Results: Age was a significant predictor of all help-seeking behaviour studied, other than treatment for ED. Controlling for all predictor variables, never-married status predicted a lower likelihood of visiting a doctor (odds ratio [OR], 0.68 [95% CI, 0.48–0.97]) or speaking to a health professional about ED (OR, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.21–0.93]), while divorced/separated status predicted lower likelihood of having a prostate-specific antigen test (OR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.50–0.79]). Living in a regional or remote area or being from a non-English-speaking background predicted lower likelihood of receiving treatment for ED (ORs, 0.62 [95% CI, 0.42–0.92] and 0.41 [95% CI, 0.24–0.72], respectively), but did not influence screening for prostate disease. Conclusion: Seeking advice or treatment for male reproductive health disorders is predicted by sociodemographic factors specific to different reproductive health problems. As middle-aged and older men do attend doctors, opportunities exist for health professionals to optimise their consultations by routinely discussing reproductive health with all men, to identify under-reported male reproductive health disorders.enHumansProstatic DiseasesProstate-Specific AntigenAttitude to HealthMarital StatusPhysician-Patient RelationsAge FactorsResidence CharacteristicsAdultAgedMiddle AgedEducational StatusPatient Acceptance of Health CareAustraliaMaleErectile DysfunctionSurveys and QuestionnairesJournal article002006192610.5694/j.1326-5377.2006.tb00637.x0002422482000052-s2.0-3375015464051948Wittert, G. [0000-0001-6818-6065]